University  of  California— College  of  Agriculture, 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

E.  W.  HILGARD,  Director. 


TOLERANCE  OF    *  * 

ALKALI  BY    *     *  * 

VARIOUS  CULTURES  * 

By  R.  H.  LOUGHRIDGE. 


BULLETIN  No.  133. 

(Berkeley,  August,  1901.) 


SACRAMENTO: 
a.  J.  Johnston,    :    :    :    :    :    superintendent  state  printing. 

1901. 


EXPERIMENT  STATION  STAFF. 


E.  W.  HILGARD,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Director  and  Chemist. 

E.  J.  WICKSON,  M.A.,  Horticulturist  and  Superintendent  of  Agricultural  Ground  . 

R.  H.  LOUGHRIDGE,  Ph.D.,  Agricultural  Geologist  and  Chemist. 

C.  W.  WOODWORTH,  M.S.,  Entomologist. 

W.  A.  SETCHELL,  Ph.D.,  Botanist. 

M.  E.  JAFFA,  M.S.,  First  Assistant  Chemist,  Agricultural  Laboratory. 

GEORGE  E.  COLBY,  M.S.,  Second  Assistant  Chemist,  Agricultural  Laboratory. 

FREDERIC  T.  BIOLETTI,  B.S.,  Bacteriologist  and  Foreman  of  Viticultural  Cellar. 

J.  BURTT  DAVY,  Assistant  Botanist. 

LEROY  ANDERSON,  M.S.A.,  Dairy  Husbandman. 

A.  R.  WARD,  B.S.A.,  D.V.M.,  Veterinarian. 

E.  H.  TWIGHT,  Assistant  in  Viticulture. 

CHARLES  H.  SHINN,  A.B.,  Inspector  of  Stations. 

C.  A.  COLMORE,  Clerk  to  Director. 

EMIL  KELLNER,  Foreman  of  Central  Station  Grounds. 

JOHN  TUOHY,  Patron,  > 

>  Tulare  Substation,  Tulare. 
JULIUS  FORRER,  Foreman,  S 

R.  C.  RUST,  Patron,  )  _     .....  Q  ,    ,    .. 

>  Foothill  Substation,  Jackson. 
JOHN  H.  BARBER,  Foreman,  ) 

S.  D.  MERK,  Patron,  1  „  ,  „        „   ,  , 

>  Coast  Range  Substation,  Paso  Robles. 
J.  W.  NEAL,  S  & 

S.   N.  ANDROUS,  Patron,  )  n     „  „  ,Pjl       .     0  .    x  x.        (  Pomona. 

>  Southern  California  Substation,  ^  ^ 
J.  W.  MILLS,  Foreman,       S  I  Ontario. 

V.  C.  RICHARDS,  Patron, 


.  Forestry  Station,  Chico 
T.  L.  BOHLENDER,  in  charge   K 

ROY  JONES,  Patron,        )  „  „     ,.        „     A    ,,     . 

>  Forestry  Station,  Santa  Monica. 
WM.   SHUTT,  Foreman,  S  J 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Page. 
WORK  DONE  HERETOFORE _ 5 

UTILIZATION  OF  ALKALI  LANDS 6 

FIELD  OF  OBSERVATION _ 7 

INJURIOUS  NATURE  OF  COMMON  SALT _. 9 

EXTENT  OF  INVESTIGATIONS- _ 10 

DIFFICULTIES  IN  INTERPRETATION  OF  RESULTS .__ 10 

RESULTS  OF  OBSERVATIONS 12 

Orchard  Trees _. _ 12 

Table  of  analyses  of  alkali  soils 12 

Almonds,  Apples,  Apricots 12-14 

Figs,  Mulberry,  Lemons,  Oranges _ __ 14-18 

Olives,  Peaches,  Pears 18-19 

Plums,  Prunes,  Walnuts _ __ 20 

Vineyard _ _ 21 

Table  of  analyses  of  alkali  soils 21 

Note  on  the  effect  of  alkali  on  growth  of  vines  and  composition  of  grapes; 

A.  M.  dal  Piaz 23 

Grain 24 

Table  of  analyses  of  alkali  soils 25 

Wheat,  Gluten  Wheat,  Barley,  Rye ._ 25-27 

Legumes  and  Fodder  Plants _ 27 

Table  of  analyses  of  alkali  soils 27 

Alfalfa 28 

Blue  European  Lupin,  Hairy  Vetch _ _ _.    30 

Bur  Clover,  Australian  and  Argentine  Saltbushes _ -.31-32 

Sorghum,  White  Melilot 32-33 

Goat's  Rue,  Jersey  Kale,  Essex  Rape ___ *3 

Modiola _ _ 33 

Vegetables _ .-. --_ _ _ 33 

Table  of  analyses  of  alkali  soils _ _ _ 34 

Sugar  Beets --- _ 34 

Carrots,  Radishes,  Artichokes...- 35-36 

Spinach,  English  Broad  Bean _ ___    %q 

Spelt,  Eleusine,  Celery _.    3^ 

Onions,  Potatoes - --- _ _ 36 

Grasses _ 36 

Ray  and  other  grasses.. 36 


—  4  — 

RESULTS  OF  OBSERVATIONS— Continued. 

Page. 

Miscellaneous  .. 37 

Table  of  analyses  of  alkali  soils 37 

Russian  Sunflower  _ _ _ 38 

Washingtonia  Palms  _ 38 

Date  Palms,  Camphor  Tree 38 

Oriental  Sycamore 38 

Eucalyptus,  Kolreuteria _ 38 

GENERAL  SUMMARY  OF  RESULTS 38 

Tables  showing  highest  amounts  of  alkali  salts  in  which  fruit  trees  and 

smaller  cultures  grow 39 

ADDITIONAL  DATA    ON    CULTURES    IN   ALKALI    AT   THE    SOUTHERN 

CALIFORNIA  SUBSTATION 40 

CONCLUSIONS  41 


TOLERANCE  OF  ALKALI  BY  VARIOUS  CULTURES. 


By  R.  H.  LOUGHRIDGE. 


Alkali  studies  at  this  Station  have  thus  far  been  chiefly  directed 
toward  the  occurrence,  character,  and  reclamation  of  alkali  lands  in 
California,  the  chief  salt  of  which  was  carbonate  of  soda,  the  basis  of 
black  alkali;  and  several  bulletins  and  reports  on  the  subject  have 
been  printed  and  distributed  very  generally  by  the  Station.  Among 
these  Bulletin  No.  128,  issued  within  the  past  year,  is  very  full  and  com- 
prehensive and  can  be  had  by  application  to  the  Station. 

A  few  observations  have  been  made  with  reference  to  the  power  of 
certain  cereal  and  fodder  crops  to  withstand  the  effects  of  alkali,  and 
the  results  are  given  in  the  Annual  Report  of  1896.  But  as  a  rule  the 
amounts  were  ascertained  for  a  depth  of  one  foot  only,  because  at  the 
Chino  substation  the  greater  part  of  the  salts  was  held  within  that 
depth,  and  the  majority  of  the  cultures  observed  had  shallow  root- 
systems.  The  results  have  not,  therefore,  that  value  which  would  have 
been  reached  by  deeper  examination  of  the  soils. 

In  the  past  two  years,  however,  we  have  extended  the  investigations 
and  have  endeavored  to  ascertain,  as  far  as  possible,  the  highest  amount 
of  each  salt  occurring  in  four  feet  depth  in  which  the  different  cultures 
of  all  kinds — orchard,  as  well  as  others — will  grow  and  come  to  matur- 
ity; for  while  it  is  true  that  it  is  the  alkali  within  the  first  foot  or  two 
of  the  surface  that  is  liable  to  produce  the  chief  injury  upon  the  roots 
of  the  plants,  it  is  certain  that  there  will  come  a  time  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  land  when  nearly  all  of  the  salts  that  lie  in  the  lower  depths 
of  the  soil  will  be  reached  and  dissolved  by  the  water  that  has  been 
given  to  the  soil  either  by  rainfall  or  by  irrigation  in  sufficient  amounts 
to  percolate  downward  to  it,  and  will  be  brought  up  and  concentrated 
at  or  near  the  surface.  This  has  occurred  in  the  substations  at  Tulare 
and  Chino. 

It  is  this  concentration  that  has  proved  so  destructive  to  many  cul- 
tures that  for  a  time  have  done  well;  and  it  is  this  total  amount  within 
reach  of  water  that  must  be  considered  when  orchard  trees  or  perennial 
crops  are  planted,  if  the  farmer  wishes  to  avoid  the  agony  of  seeing  his 
work  and  hopes  of  years  swept  away  by  the  sudden  activity  of  an  enemy 
which  has  been  hidden  in  the  lower  depths  of  his  land. 

All  of  this  injury  to  cultures  was  at  first  naturally  attributed  either  to 
the  content  of  carbonate  of  soda  in  the  surface  foot,  where  its  corrosive 
action  on  the  tender  bark  of  the  root  crown  could  be  felt,  or  to  the  very 


—  6  — 

large  amount  of  total  salts  which  might  produce  stagnation  of  the  sap 
or  other  injury  to  the  feeding  rootlets.  Some  analyses  and  observa- 
tions were  made  at  that  time  both  on  the  amounts  of  alkali  which 
caused  suffering,  and  on  the  amounts  in  soils  where  no  trouble  appeared; 
the  results  are  given  in  previous  reports. 

The  depth  of  four  feet  has  been  adopted  as  the  proper  one,  because 
investigations  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  and  in  the  valley  of  Southern 
California  have  shown  that  in  all  but  the  sandiest  of  soils  the  substrata 
below  that  depth,  while  not  entirely  free  from  alkali  salts,  contain  so 
little  and  are  so  commonly  beyond  the  depth  to  which  rainfall  or  irriga- 
tion water  penetrates  or  the  effect  of  subsequent  surface  evaporation  is 
felt,  that  the  consideration  of  their  content  of  alkali  is  unimportant. 

Utilization  of  Alkali  Lands. — The  proper  utilization  of  alkali  lands 
implies  a  due  regard  on  the  part  of  the  farmer  to  the  several  conditions 
accompanying  the  alkali  deposit,  each  of  which  has  its  influence  upon 
the  method  of  treatment  to  be  pursued  in  the  reclamation  of  the  land,  in 
the  selection  of  suitable  crops,  and  in  their  cultivation  and  irrigation. 
These  conditions  are,  first,  the  nature  of  the  alkali  salts,  whether  chiefly 
carbonate  (black  alkali),  sulfates, or  chlorids  (common  salt);  second,  the 
position  of  the  alkali  in  the  soil-column,  whether  near  the  surface  or 
several  feet  below;  and,  third,  the  amount  of  these  salts  contained  within 
reach  of  the  plant,  or  which  would  at  some  time  rise  to  the  surface. 
These  several  conditions  have  repeatedly  been  treated  of  in  the  several 
Station  publications  on  the  subject  of  alkali,  but  it  seems  to  be  impor- 
tant that  they  be  briefly  given  again  here. 

The  examination  of  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  five  or  six  feet  in  localities 
where  alkali  either  is  known  or  is  suspected  to  exist  is  of  course  the  first 
thing  of  importance,  and  an  average  sample  of  each  foot  in  depth  should 
be  taken;  the  result  of  the  chemical  examination  of  these  will  clearly 
indicate  the  conditions  to  be  met. 

First,  with  regard  to  the  nature  of  the  salts:  Carbonate  of  soda  (black 
alkali),  if  present,  may  be  neutralized  by  the  application  of  gypsum  in  an 
amount  exceeding  that  of  the  carbonate  present;  rainfall  or  irrigation 
water  will  dissolve  this,  and  as  rapidly  as  the  solution  comes  in  contact 
with  the  carbonate  the  latter  will  be  converted  into  the  far  less  harmful 
sulfate  or  glauber  salt.  This  will,  of  course,  increase  the  amount  of  the 
sulfate,  and  if  then  this  salt  is  too  great  for  the  tolerance  of  plants  it 
must  be  removed  by  drainage,  or  driven  deeply  into  the  lower  depths  of 
the  soil  by  copious  irrigation.  Common  salt  and  the  sulfates  ("white 
alkali")  can  be  successfully  treated  only  by  removal  from  the  soil  limits 
of  five  or  six  feet  depth.  Nothing  can  be  applied  that  will  render  them 
harmless  when  they  are  present  in  amounts  exceeding  the  tolerance  of 
crops.  This  removal  from  the  soil  may  be  done  either  by  underdrains 
of  tiles  at  a  depth  of  four  feet,  the  alkali  drainage-water  being  conducted 


—  7  — 

into  a  stream,  or  into  a  well  dug  for  the  purpose  to  underlying  gravel,  or, 
as  has  been  done  at  the  Tulare  substation,  into  a  natural  sump;  or  by 
deep  ditches  into  which  the  alkali-charged  water  may  enter  by  seepage 
from  flooded  areas.  Alkali  is  quickly  soluble  in  water  and  rapidly  per- 
colates downward  into  the  soil  if  the  latter  is  at  all  leachy,  and  it  would 
be  practically  impossible  to  wash  it  off  of  the  soil  by  flooding  and  shal- 
low surface  drains.  A  surface  inch  of  water  soaks  to  about  six  or  eight 
inches  depth  in  a  sandy  soil,  and  to  four  inches  in  one  more  clayey. 

Second,  the  position  in  the  soil-column:  Where  the  alkali  is  at  the 
surface  suitable  means  toward  reclamation  or  removal  must  be  adopted 
as  indicated  above,  or  the  alkali  must  be  made  to  sink  to  a  depth  of 
several  feet  and  kept  there  out  of  the  reach  of  the  tender  plant-roots; 
or  crops  must  be  chosen  suitable  for  the  character  and  strength  of  the 
alkali. 

On  the  other  hand,  where  the  alkali  is  not  at  the  surface,  either  such 
shallow-rooted  crops  should  be  planted  whose  roots  will  remain  above  the 
alkali  zone,  and  such  cultivation  and  irrigation  be  given  that  the  mass  of 
alkali  at  several  feet  depth  is  not  disturbed,  or  the  alkali  must  be  driven 
deeper  into  the  soil  and  kept  there;  or  such  crops  should  be  selected 
as  may  be  able  to  tolerate  the  amount  of  alkali  occurring  in  the  entire 
soil,  whether  that  alkali  be  subsequently  concentrated  near  the  surface 
or  distributed  throughout  the  three  or  four  feet.  The  roots  of  deep- 
rooted  crops  and  trees  may  be  able  to  remain  in  the  upper  soil  for  awhile, 
but  they  soon  grow  downward  to  the  vicinity  of  the  alkali  and  are 
affected. 

Third,  a  careful  selection  of  such  cultures  should  be  made  as  are  known 
to  withstand  the  amount  and  nature  of  alkali  present.  For  instance,  the 
apple  is  apparently  severely  injured  by  the  presence  of  3,000  pounds  of 
common  salt  per  acre  in  four  feet;  while  the  olive  grows  well  at  Tulare 
in  a  soil  containing  as  much  as  5,600  pounds  of  that  salt  per  acre. 
While,  therefore,  olives  would  grow  where  apples  died,  it  would  be  folly 
to  attempt  to  raise  apples  on  land  with  so  large  an  amount  of  alkali 
simply  because  olives  do  well  on  it. 

It  is  the  hope  of  the  Station  to  be  able  thus  to  ascertain  the  maximum 
or  safe  tolerance  of  the  various  cultures,  either  large  or  small,  for  either 
carbonate  of  soda,  common  salt,  or  the  sulfate;  so  as  to  enable  farmers 
to  choose  for  such  lands  only  those  cultures  that  will  probably  succeed. 
It  is  thought  that  much  alkali  land  might  be  put  to  profitable  cultiva- 
tion that  now  lies  idle  because,  having  proved  incompatible  to  some 
one  crop,  it  has  been  thought  to  be  unsuitable  for  all. 

Field  of  Observation. — The  Tulare  and  Chino  substations  have  thus 
far  been  almost  the  only  fields  of  observation,  while  experiments  on 
reclamation  problems  have  been  conducted  at  the  former  station  at  the 
same  time. 


—  8  — 

The  Tulare  tract  was  originally  chosen  for  the  purpose  of  making  its 
alkali  land  the  subject  of  special  study  and  investigation;  and  at  that 
time  but  one  large  alkali  spot  was  in  sight  on  the  surface,  the  rest  being 
covered  with  native  grasses  and  wildflowers.  Alkali  hardpan,  however, 
did  exist  at  depths  of  from  twelve  to  thirty-six  inches,  and  the  necessary 
use  of  irrigation  water  has,  by  percolation  to  the  alkali  and  subsequent 
capillary  rise,  brought  the  dissolved  salts  to  the  surface  here  and  there 
over  the  tract,  and  produced  a  number  of  gradually  enlarging  alkali 
spots.  This  gave  a  larger  field  of  reclamation  work  than  had  been 
intended  at  first,  while  at  the  same  time  enlarging  the  scope  of  observa- 
tion on  various  cultures.     The  effect  of  this  rise  of  alkali  was  seen  in  the 


PLATE  1.    Wheat  Growing  3  Feet  High  in  Soil  Crusted  with  White  Alkali, 
Originally  a  Barren  Black-Alkali  Spot.    Tulare  Experiment  Substation. 


blighted  appearance  of  tree  growths  and  other  cultures  that  had  at  first 
been  doing  well,  as  well  as  in  the  bare  spots  so  characteristic  of  "black 
alkali." 

Reclamation  of  the  black  alkali  has  been  carried  on  for  a  number  of 
years,  gypsum  being  applied,  turned  under  and  thoroughly  watered. 
The  result  has  been  a  very  general  conversion  of  the  dreaded  carbonate 
of  soda  into  the  far  less  harmful  sulfate;  and  on  spots  where  not  a  blade 
of  grass  would  previously  grow,  there  have  been  produced  excellent  wheat 
and  barley,  three  or  four  feet  high  and  full-headed,  although  the  surface 
of  the  ground  was  at  harvest  time  covered  by  a  thick  crust  of  white 
alkali.  (See  plate  1.)  Photographic  illustrations  of  this  growth  have 
been  given  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Station  for  1897-8,  and  in 
Bulletin  No.  128. 

Experiments  have  also  been  made  with  respect  to  the  removal  of  the 


—  9  — 

alkali  by  underdrainage,  through  tiles,  into  a  deep  well;  and  also  by 
carting  away  from  spots  where  the  alkali  had,  by  deep  percolation  of 
irrigating  water  and  subsequent  rise  by  evaporation  from  the  surface, 
been  purposely  made  to  come  to  the  surface.  Both  methods  were  quite 
successful  and  large  amounts  of  salts  were  thus  removed  from  some  of 
the  alkali  spots. 

These  are  the  only  methods  by  which  common  salt  and  the  sulfates 
can  be  removed  from  lands  charged  with  them. 

Injurious  Nature  of  Common  Salt. — The  neutralization  of  the  corrosive 
carbonate  of  soda  in  the  alkali  soils  of  Tulare  by  means  of  gypsum  led 
to  the  belief  that  the  various  growths  in  orchard  and  vineyard  and  the 
smaller  cultures  would  show  very  material  improvement,  but  such 
anticipations  have  been  but  partially  realized.  It  is  true  that  the  land 
was  largely  reclaimed  from  the  evils  of  the  carbonate  of  soda  (black 
alkali),  and  that  some  of  the  cultures,  such  as  wheat  and  barley,  were 
enabled  to  grow  and  produce  excellent  crops,  but  other  crops  and  trees 
still  suffered  from  the  effects  of  so-called  white  alkali  (chlorid  and  sul- 
fate of  sodium,  or  common  and  glauber  salt),  from  which  the  land  had 
not  been  freed.  Apple  trees,  for  instance,  were  severely  "  alkalied,"  as 
partly  shown  in  the  photograph  on  page  13  (plate  2). 

The  injurious  nature  of  common  salt  to  plants  in  sea-coast  lands  has 
long  been  known,  and  has  been  largely  attributed  to  the  bittern  (mag- 
nesium chlorid)  that  it  contains;  but  the  investigations  at  Tulare  show 
that  common  salt  in  itself  is  highly  injurious  to  plant  growth.  Its 
chief  action  seems  to  be  that  of  an  antiseptic  which  arrests  development, 
or  kills  the  nitrifying  organisms  in  the  soil. 

It  was  therefore  determined  to  make  a  detailed  examination  of  the 
soils  in  which  the  various  important  cultures  grew,  and  thus  to  ascertain 
the  alkali  conditions  and  the  cause  of  suffering,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
make  a  study  of  the  tolerance  of  the  several  salts  on  the  part  of  the 
orchard  trees.  For  this  purpose  the  writer  visited  the  Tulare  sub- 
station in  the  summer  of  1900,  and,  with  the  Inspector  of  Stations  and 
the  Foreman,  selected  trees  and  other  cultures  that  were  clearly  suffering 
from  alkali  and  those  of  the  same  variety  that  were  doing  well.  Average 
samples  of  the  soil  of  each  foot  to  a  depth  of  four  feet  were  taken  at  a 
distance  of  about  three  feet  from  the  tree,  and  from  nearer  other  cultures. 
Photographs  were  also  made.  The  results  of  the  analyses  of  these  soil- 
samples  are  of  special  interest  in  throwing  new  light  on  the  tolerance  of 
alkali  by  plants,  and  especially  in  that  they  bring  forward  prominently 
the  evil  effects  of  common  salt,  an  enemy  to  crop  production  almost  if 
not  fully  as  dangerous  as  black  alkali  itself,  though  acting  in  a  different 
manner.  Heretofore  its  influence  has  been  in  a  large  measure  over- 
looked, because  of  the  reputation  and  prominence  of  carbonate  of  soda 
as  an  agent  of  destruction;  and  had    not  the  land  of  the  substation 


—  10  — 

been  so  generally  freed  from  the  latter  by  the  use  of  gypsum,  the  full 
power  of  mischief  of  common  salt  upon  plant  and  tree  growth  would, 
perhaps,  not  have  been  brought  out  so  well  as  in  this  investigation. 

The  fact  that  lands  charged  with  carbonate  of  soda  may  be  reclaimed 
from  that  particular  salt  by  the  use  of  gypsum  makes  the  study  of 
tolerance  of  the  other  ingredients  of  great  importance;  for  if  the  soil, 
for  instance,  contained,  in  addition  to  the  carbonate  of  soda,  an  amount 
of  common  salt  that  would  in  itself  prove  highly  injurious  to  plant  life, 
and  which  could  not  be  leached  out  of  the  land  by  drainage,  then  the 
expense  of  the  gypsum  application  to  reclaim  the  black  alkali  would  be 
useless;  or  if  the  conversion  of  the  carbonate  into  the  sulfate  of  soda 
by  gypsum  increases  that  already  present  to  an  extent  approaching  an 
amount  not  tolerated  by  plants,  and  no  means  of  leaching  and  under- 
drainage  exists,  then  the  work  of  reclamation  would  also  be  useless. 
These  points  should  all  be  considered  by  the  farmer  before  gypsum  is 
bought  and  reclamation  of  his  land  is  begun. 

Extent  of  the  Investigation. — About  one  hundred  varieties  of  cultures 
have  been  studied;  these  embrace  orchard  trees,  grain  and  forage  crops, 
grasses,  vegetables,  and  other  miscellaneous  growths.  The  greater  part 
of  the  results  are  valuable  toward  reaching  the  end  in  view,  but  others 
were  disappointing  in  that  the  soils  showed  a  far  less  amount  of  alkali 
salts  than  was  indicated  by  surrounding  conditions. 

In  many  cases,  several  localities  were  chosen  for  the  examination  of 
the  soil  of  the  same  culture,  for  it  is  impossible  to  judge  of  the  nature  and 
extent  of  alkali  soils  by  the  eye  alone.  For  instance,  many  alfalfa 
fields  in  several  parts  of  the  State  were  sampled  before  conclusions  at 
all  satisfactory  were  reached,  the  majority  having  less  than  we  had 
reason  to  believe. 

The  samples  have  all  been  carefully  taken,  each  foot  of  the  vertical 
soil-column  being  carefully  mixed,  in  order  that  its  sample  may  be  an 
average  of  that  foot.  Many  hundred  analyses  have  been  made  with  the 
assistance  of  Messrs.  Colby,  Snow,  Lea,  and  Werthmueller. 

A  quick  and  at  the  same  time  accurate  method  of  extracting  the 
alkali  from  the  soil  has  been  adopted;  instead  of  placing  the  dry  soil 
on  a  filter  and  washing  all  of  the  alkali  out  with  water,  which  often 
required  two  or  more  weeks  in  clay  soils  because  of  puddling  by  the 
carbonate  of  soda,  a  weighed  amount  is  mixed  with  a  measured  quan- 
tity of  water  and  allowed  to  digest  for  twenty-four  hours  with  frequent 
shaking.  The  salts  thus  dissolved  are  thoroughly  diffused  through  the 
liquid,  and  an  aliquot  part  may  be  taken  for  evaporation  and  examina- 
tion. If  necessary,  a  portion  may  be  passed  through  a  filter  to  clear  it 
from  sediment,  but  very  often  the  solution  settles  perfectly  clear. 

Difficulties  in  Interpretation  of  Results. — There  are  a  number  of  condi- 
tions  which   may   affect   the   interpretation   of   the   results   of   alkali 


—  11  — 

examinations  and  lead  to  erroneous  conclusions  with  regard  to  the  effect 
of  alkali  on  cultures.  These  are  climatic  conditions,  the  possible 
presence  of  insects  or  diseases,  imperfect  physical  conditions  in  the  soil 
and  subsoil,  such  as  hardpan,  high  water-table,  shallowness  of  the  soil* 
lack  of  ventilation  and  aeration,  poor  moisture  supply,  etc.,  any  of 
which  might  cause  intense  suffering  on  the  part  of  the  plant.  All  of 
these  must  be  considered  before  alkali  can  be  charged  with  the  trouble. 
Then  when  we  come  to  consider  the  alkali  itself  we  are  met  by  its  com- 
plexity and  variability  in  composition,  and  it  is  only  by  a  process  of 
elimination  that  definite  conclusions  can  be  reached.  It  is  easy  enough 
to  make  tables  showing  the  highest  amount  of  each  salt  thus  far  found 
to  be  tolerated  by  the  different  cultures,  but  it  is  often  very  difficult  to 
say  positively  that  the  death  or  suffering  on  the  part  of  a  culture  is  due 
to  the  presence  of  a  certain  salt,  for  other  salts  are  always  present  in 
large  or  small  amounts.  When,  however,  the  amount  of  one  of  the  con- 
stituents is  far  below,  and  that  of  another  is  much  above  the  amount 
tolerated  by  the  plant  elsewhere,  it  is  quite  safe  to  conclude  that  any 
distress  on  the  part  of  the  plant  is  due  to  the  latter;  provided,  of  course, 
that  physical  conditions  of  the  soil  are  favorable  to  the  life  of  the  plant. 
In  some  cases  where  the  amount  of  a  certain  salt  was  enormous,  there 
could  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  suffering  of  the  plant  was  due  to  it; 
but  the  lowest  limit  of  such  intolerance  is  as  yet  undetermined. 

The  following  tables  give  some  of  the  results  obtained  by  the  analysis 
of  the  alkali  soils  bearing  various  crops,  the  effort  being  to  select  such 
as  were  typical  of  the  effect  and  non-effect  of  alkali  upon  the  growth. 
While  the  samples  were  actually  examined  for  each  foot  in  depth,  it  has 
been  thought  best  for  this  bulletin  to  give  only  the  average  of  the  entire 
column  as  a  whole,  especially  for  the  orchard  trees  whose  roots  penetrate 
deeply  into  the  soil  when  free  to  do  so.  For  smaller  cultures,  whose 
roots  are  chiefly  found  in  the  upper  two  feet  of  the  soil,  we  give  results 
for  each  of  the  two  feet  and  the  total  found  in  four  feet;  otherwise  the 
results  would  prove  very  puzzling  and  conflicting.  The  results  are 
briefly  discussed  for  each  culture  and  a  comparative  summary  of  maxi- 
mum tolerance  is  given  in  tabular  form  at  the  end  of  the  bulletin. 

We  do  not  present  all  of  the  soils  whose  examinations  have  been 
made,  but  only  those  of  most  importance  in  showing  the  maximum  of 
tolerance  for  the  various  crops;  as  already  stated,  many  alkali  spots 
were  examined  that  gave  no  definite  results,  and  are  therefore  omitted 
from  the  statement. 

It  should  be  said  that  the  limits  of  tolerance  thus  far  shown  are 
probably  for  the  most  part  too  low,  and  that  further  investigation  will 
without  doubt  greatly  enlarge  these  limits  on  the  part  of  some  of  the 
crops  enumerated.  We  propose  to  continue  the  work,  and  with  the  aid 
of  farmers  living  in  alkali  regions  we  hope  to  greatly  add  to  the  number 
and  value  of  observations  already  made. 


—  12  — 
RESULTS  OF  INVESTIGATION. 

ORCHARD   TREES. 

Analyses  of  orchard  soils  have  been  made  from  a  number  of  localities, 
but  those  given  in  the  tables  are  mostly  from  the  Tulare  substation. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  list  comprises  the  chief  orchard  crops  of 
California;  and  while  most  of  them  are  represented  in  their  extremes  of 
good  and  poor  growths,  there  are  a  few  which  could  only  be  found  in  a 
state  of  good  growth,  and  in  what  seemed  to  be  strong  alkali. 

Alkali  in  Soils  of  Orchards. 


Trees. 


Per  Cent  in  Soil. 


Pounds  per  Acre;  4  ft.  depth. 


003. 

O  P 
«  9 


gf  a 


■     H 


Almonds — 
Tulare 

Apples— 

Tulare— Red  Bietigheimer 

Duchess 

Jonathan 

Apricots — 

Tulare 

Tulare 

Figs— 

Tulare — Osburn's  Prolific 
California  Black.. 
Lemons — 

La  Mirada. 

La  Mirada 

La  Mirada 

Olives — 

Tulare— Nigerina 

Regalis.. 

La  Mirada 

La  Mirada 

Kern  City 5  feet 

Oranges — 

Tulare 

Chino 

Corona 

Corona 

Corona 

Peaches — 

Tulare 

Tulare.   ... 

Hanford 

Pears— 

Tulare ___ 

Tulare 

Plums— 

Tulare  ... 

Prunes  on  Myrobalan — 

Tulare. 

Mulberry — 

Tulare... 


Good  .... 

Good  .... 

Poor 

Poor 

Good 

Affected  . 

Good 

Good  .... 

Good  .... 
Stunted . . 
Dead 

Good  .... 

Good 

Good 

Stunted... 
Dead 

Fair 

Good  .... 

Fair 

Poor 

Poor 

Best 

Poor 

Poor 

Best 

Poor 

Very  poor 

Good 

Good  .... 


.142 

.089 
.117 
.029 

.054 
.214 

.153 

.068 

.028 
.032 
.039 

.192 
.126 
.025 
.271 
.245 

.062 
.155 
.018 
.028 
.029 

.060 

.084 
.088 

.111 

.239 

.140 
.058 
.021 


.009 

.004 

.008 
.005 

.003 
.011 

.007 
.005 

.003 
.003 
.007 

.018 
.017 
.015 
.029 
.010 

.024 
.012 
.008 
.013 
.010 

.004 
.007 
.002 

.011 
.013 

.011 

.009 

.001 


.015 

.008 
.021 
.007 

.006 
.021 

.005 
.001 

.005 
.009 
.012 

.042 
.021 
.014 
.074 
.152 

.021 
.015 
.002 
.011 
.015 

.006 
.015 
.070 

.009 
.009 

.014 

.008 

.014 


.166 

.101 
.146 
.041 

.063 
.246 

.165 

.074 

.036 
.044 
.058 

.252 
.164 
.054 
.374 
.407 

.107 
.182 
.028 
.052 
.054 

.070 
.106 
.160 

.131 
.261 

.165 

.075 

.036 


22,720 

14,240 

18,760 

6,840 

8,640 
34,240 

24,480 
10,880 

4,480 
5,120 
6,240 

30,640 
20,160 
4,000 
43,360 
49,000 

9,840 
18,600 
2,920 
4,520 
4,720 

9,600 
13,400 
14,080 

17,800 

38,280 

22,360 
9,240 
3,360 


1,440 

640 
1,200 
1,080 

480 
1,760 

1,120 
760 

480 

480 

1,120 

2,880 
2,640 
2,400 
4,640 
2,000 

3,840 
1,440 

1,280 
2,000 
1,680 


1,160 
320 

1,760 
2,080 

1,760 

1,360 

160 


2,400 

1,240 
3,320 
1,720 

960 
3,260 

800 
160 

800 
1,440 
1,920 

6,640 

3,360 

2,240 

11,840 

30,400 

3,360 
1,800 
360 
1,800 
2,520 

1,000 

2,440 

11,200 

1,360 
1,360 

2,120 

1,200 

2,240 


26,560 

16,120 

23,280 

9,640 

10,080 
39,260 

26,400 
11,800 

5,760 
7,040 
9,280 

40,160 
26,160 
8,640 
59,840 
81,400 

17,040 

21,840 

4,560 

8,320 

8,920 

11,280 
17,000 
25,600 

20,920 
41,720 

26,240 

11,800 

5,760 


Almonds. — The  almond  trees  of   the  Tulare   substation  are  isolated 
from  the  other  orchard  growths  and  were  all  in  a  healthy  condition  and 


—  13  — 


—  14  — 

loaded  with  fruit  at  the  time  visited.  The  varieties  were  the  I  X  L  and 
Harriott's  Seedling.  The  soil  samples  were. taken  from  midway  between 
the  trees  to  a  depth  of  four  feet.  No  trees  have  been  found  whose  poor 
condition  could  be  attributed  to  alkali;  hence,  the  greatest  limit  of 
tolerance  in  the  almond  has  as  yet  not  been  ascertained,  but  is  clearly 
above  2,000  pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda  and  3,000  pounds  of  common 
salt  per  acre  four  feet  deep. 

Apples.— The  only  observations  made  on  the  apple  were  at  the  Tulare 
substation  in  1900.  The  tree  is  quite  sensitive  to  alkali  salts,  and  their 
effect  on  the  foliage  of  the  tree  was  very  marked,  as  is  shown  in  the 
accompanying  illustration  (plate  2)  from  a  photograph  made  at  the 
time  the  soil  samples  were  taken.  The  newer  limbs  of  the  tree  appear 
as  canes  with  a  tuft  of  leaves  at  the  upper  end,  instead  of  being  covered 
with  foliage  throughout,  as  is  also  shown  in  the  photograph.  Samples 
of  soil  were  taken  to  the  depth  of  four  feet  under  the  Duchess  of  Olden- 
burg, which  was  in  very  poor  condition,  with  no  fruit,  and  whose  top 
was  losing  its  leaves;  the  Jonathan,  also  very  poor,  and  the  Red 
Bietigheimer,  which  was  in  excellent  condition.  The  results  of  the 
examination  make  it  clear  that  while  the  apple  will  tolerate  the  presence 
of  14,000  pounds  of  sulfates,  650  of  carbonate  of  soda,  and  1,200  of 
common  salt,  it  is  injured  by  1,200  pounds  of  carbonate  and  3,000 
pounds  of  common  salt  per  acre  distributed  through  four  feet  depth. 
The  Jonathan  seems  to  be  more  sensitive  than  the  Duchess. 

Apricots. — The  trees  selected  as  representing  the  best  and  the  worst 
condition  respectively  were  grown  upon  their  own  stock.  The  differences 
between  the  two  were  very  marked,  in  the  greater  height  and  full  foliage, 
large  leaves,  and  vigorous  growth  in  the  one,  and  the  thinner  foliage, 
smaller  and  blighted  leaves,  new  leaves  in  clusters  at  end  of  limb,  and 
evident  poor  health  in  the  other;  some  twigs  had  lost  their  leaves  entirely. 
The  accompanying  photograph  (plate  3)  shows  these  effects.  The 
results  of  the  examination  of  the  respective  soils  show  that  while  the 
total  alkali  and  that  of  each  salt  are  greater  in  the  soil  of  the  poor  tree, 
and  that  to  either  of  these  might  be  attributed  the  trouble,  it  is  more 
than  likely  that  either  the  sulfate  or  the  common  salt  is  the  true  cause; 
for  their  amounts  are  excessive,  while  that  of  the  carbonate  is  lower 
than  what  is  tolerated  by  most  cultures. 

Figs. — The  examinations  for  fig  trees  gave  results  that  were  not  of 
special  importance,  for  the  amounts  of  common  salt  and  carbonate  of 
soda  present  in  the  soil  were  not  very  large.  The  tree  easily  tolerated 
as  much  as  25,000  pounds  of  glauber  salt  and  1,100  pounds  of  carbonate 
of  soda  per  acre  in  four  feet. 

Lemons. — The  lemon  seems  to  be  the  least  tolerant  of  all  of  the  fruit 
trees,  for  it  was  stunted  by  only  1,440  pounds  of  common  salt  per  acre 


—  16  — 

distributed  through  four  feet  depth,  and  was  killed  by  1,900  pounds 
combined  with  1,900  pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda.  Its  endurance  of  car- 
bonate of  soda  has  not  been  ascertained.  The  trees  examined  were  from 
an  orchard  near  La  Mirada,  Los  Angeles  County.  In  one  part  of  the 
tract  the  trees  were  doing  well,  the  soil  showing  only  comparatively 
small  amounts  of  alkali  salts.  In  another  the  trees  were  stunted,  and 
an  examination  showed  no  signs  of  disease,  the  trouble  being  evidently 
due  to  the  alkali.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  orchard,  at  the  end  of  the 
irrigation  furrow,  where  water  was  caught  from  run-off  during  the  past 
five  or  six  years,  thus  permitting  the  alkali  to  accumulate,  the  trees 


PLATE  4.    Lemon  Orchard  Affected  by  Alkali;  Before  Deep  Irrigation. 

have  during  the  past  year  showed  signs  of  disease,  and  many  have  died. 
The  alkali  in  this  land  is  much  in  excess  of  that  where  the  trees  were 
merely  stunted,  thus  indicating  this  excess  as  the  cause  of  trouble. 

The  manager  of  the  orchard,  Mr.  S.,  told  the  writer  that  he  had  by  a 
system  of  subirrigation  caused  water  to  dissolve  the  salt  and  carry  it 
deeply  into  the  ground  out  of  reach  of  the  feeding  roots  of  the  trees, 
its  rise  to  the  surface  being  prevented  by  cultivation  of  the  soil.  The 
result  appeared  in  the  greatly  improved  condition  of  the  trees,  which  in 
eight  or  ten  months  after  this  treatment  seem  to  have  almost  recovered 
their  vigor.  Photographs  of  the  trees  before  (plate  4)  and  after 
(plate  5)  treatment  were  taken  by  Mrs.  S.,  and  are  reproduced  in  the 
accompanying  engravings. 


—  17  — 

Oranges. — From  the  culture  experiments  at  Tulare  substation  it 
would  seem  that  oranges  do  fairly  well  in  the  presence  of  3,840  pounds 
of  carbonate  and  3,360  pounds  of  common  salt  per  acre  in  four  feet 
depth,  or  a  total  of  17,040  pounds  of  alkali.  The  examinations  at 
Corona  seem  to  contradict  this,  for  there  the  trees  suffered  in  1,680 
pounds  of  carbonate  and  2,500  pounds  of  common  salt.  The  expla- 
nation is  that  the  conditions  surrounding  the  trees  were  different,  for  at 
Tulare  a  detailed  examination  shows  that  the  salts  were  distributed 
through  the  four  feet  of  soil  quite  evenly,  while  at  Corona  the  common 
salt  was  all  contained  in  the  first  two  feet.     Then,  too,  at  Tulare  the 


PLATE  5.    The  Above   Orchard  After  Alkali  Was  Driven  Down  by  Deep  Irrigation, 

Followed  by  Cultivation. 

roots  of  the  tree  were  by  proper  culture  encouraged  to  send  their  feed- 
ing roots  to  a  depth  of  seven  or  eight  feet  below  the  surface,  while  at 
Corona  the  system  of  shallow  furrow-irrigation  so  much  practiced  in 
Southern  California  had  compelled  the  roots  to  remain  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  surface  of  the  soil  to  secure  necessary  moisture,  and 
hence  the  salt  concentrated  near  the  surface  could  act  with  greater 
energy. 

Thus  is  emphasized  the  importance  of  the  oft-repeated  injunction  to 

so  use  irrigation  water  and  cultivation  as  to  permit  the  roots  of  trees  to 

follow  their  natural  tendency  of  penetrating  deeply  into  the  soil.     Had 

the  salts  in  the  Corona  soils  been  distributed  through  a  greater  depth 

2— Bul.  133 


-   18  — 

the  trees  would  doubtless  have  withstood  the  effects  of  the  alkali  much 
longer.  In  fact,  since  the  publication  of  the  Station  Report  of  1898,  the 
orchardists  of  Corona  have  very  greatly  improved  their  groves  by  this 
treatment  and  the  use  of  pure  water;  and  the  particular  orchard  there 
shown  as  typical  of  the  effects  of  alkali  has  now  recovered  its  vigor  and 
foliage. 

Mulberry. —  The  extreme  tolerance  of  the  mulberry  could  not  be 
ascertained,  as  the  few  trees  were  all  in  excellent  condition  with  no 
more  of  common  salt  or  of  other  salts  than  is  tolerated  by  other  trees. 

Olives. — The  olive  trees  of  the  Tulare  substation  were  all  in  good  con- 
dition when  visited,  though  some  stood  in  soils  quite  highly  charged 
with  alkali  salts.  Of  those  represented  in  the  table  the  Prsecox  was  in 
a  sandy  soil,  while  the  Regalis  and  Nigerina  were  in  loams.  Samples 
of  soil  were  also  sent  to  this  office  from  an  olive  orchard  near  La 
Mirada,  Los  Angeles  County,  by  the  manager.  One  lot  of  samples  was 
from  the  high  part  of  the  orchard,  where  the  trees  were  large  and 
healthy;  the  other  lot  was  from  lower  land,  where  the  trees  were  six  years 
old,  but  stunted  (four  feet  high);  the  same  treatment  had  been  given 
the  trees  in  both  cases.  Another  series  of  samples  were  sent  by  the 
manager  of  an  olive  orchard  near  Kern  City,  Kern  County,  in  which  the 
trees  were  suffering.     The  results  of  examination  are  shown  in  the  table. 

The  olive  tree  is  clearly  immune  to  as  much  as  3,000  pounds  of  car- 
bonate of  soda  (black  alkali)  and  30,000  pounds  of  glauber  salt  per 
acre  in  four  feet,  and  the  limit  of  tolerance  will  probably  be  found  to  be 
much  above  those  figures. 

The  tolerance  for  common  salt  is  above  6,000  pounds  per  acre  in  four 
feet,  for  the  Nigerina  did  well  in  about  that  amount.  At  La  Mirada  the 
trees  were  stunted  in  presence  of  11,800  pounds,  and  killed  in  an  orchard 
near  Kern  City  where  there  was  19,500  pounds  in  four  feet  depth  and 
30,400  pounds  in  five  feet.  At  Kern  City,  however,  the  greater  part  of 
the  alkali  was  contained  in  the  soil  below  a  depth  of  two  feet,  and  had 
the  examination  gone  deeper  than  five  feet  there  would  doubtless  have 
been  found  in  all  about  50,000  pounds  of  common  salt  in  a  total  of  over 
100,000  of  alkali  salts. 

The  following  method  of  planting  the  trees  adopted  by  the  owner  of 
the  latter  orchard  has  enabled  them  to  secure  a  good  growth  before  the 
roots  felt  the  effects  of  the  alkali,  and  illustrates  the  importance  with 
some  cultures  of  forcing  the  alkali  down  to  quite  a  depth  by  the  use 
of  plenty  of  water  and  allowing  the  plant  to  secure  a  foothold: 

The  holes  for  the  trees  are  made  three  feet  deep  and  as  wide,  several 
months  before  planting;  near  planting  time  they  are  partially  filled  with 
good  soil  and  filled  with  water.  When  the  water  has  seeped  down,  the 
holes  are  filled  with  top  soil  and  the  trees  planted.     The  alkali  is  thus 


—  19  — 

washed  beyond  the  depth  of  the  roots.  There  is  hardly  a  doubt  but 
that  if  there  had  not  been  such  an  'enormous  amount  of  alkali  in  the 
lower  four  or  five  feet  the  trees  would  have  successfully  resisted  its  effect 
on  the  roots. 

Peaches. — The  trees  at  the  Tulare  substation  were  in  part  in  fairly 
good  and  in  part  in  poor  condition,  and  samples  of  soils  were  taken  from 
the  best  representatives  of  each.  Both  were  on  peach  stock,  and  the 
difference  in  appearance  was  in  smaller  leaves  and  general  unhealthy 
growth,  due  to  either  the  common  salt  or  carbonate  as  shown  in  the 
table. 

From  the  region  of  Hanford,  Kings  County,  peach  trees  were  reported 
as  being  in  bad  condition;  and  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Motheral, 
samples  were  sent  us  for  examination.  "Many  of  the  trees  in  this 
orchard  are  troubled  with  the  supposed  disease  known  as  *  little  peaches/ 
but  in  this  particular  place  the  trees  had  been  cut  back  and  were  putting 
out  new  growth  which  was  yellowish  in  color,  evidently  due  to  some 
trouble  in  the  soil.  The  water  level  is  usually  at  a  depth  of  four  or  five 
feet  below  the  surface,  though  after  heavy  rains  it  often  rises  to  within 
three  feet.  The  land  of  the  region  is  naturally  highly  productive,  and 
the  trouble  can  only  come  from  the  effect  of  the  water  on  the  roots,  or 
from  alkali  in  the  soil."  The  examination  of  this  soil  shows  the  presence 
of  an  enormous  amount  (11,200  pounds)  of  common  salt  in  the  four  feet, 
to  which  doubtless  the  dying  of  the  trees  must  be  attributed. 

The  results  obtained  at  Tulare  make  it  probable  that  the  limits  of 
alkali  tolerated  by  peach  trees  may  be  placed  at  10,000  pounds  of  sulfates, 
750  of  carbonate,  and  1,200  of  common  salt  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth. 

Pears.  —The  effect  of  alkali  upon  the  pear  was  noticed  only  in  the 
orchard  of  the  Tulare  substation,  where  quite  a  large  block  of  land  is 
given  to  its  culture.  Through  the  central  part  of  this  lies  a  belt  of  alkali 
which  has  seriously  injured  some  of  the  trees,  the  leaves  turning  yellow 
or  blackening  at  the  tips  as  shown  in  the  photograph  on  the  title-page 
of  this  bulletin,  and  others  being  killed.  On  either  side  of  this  belt  the 
trees  are  in  good  condition  and  bear  well.  Samples  of  soil  were  taken 
under  LeConte  and  Keiffer  trees  which  were  yielding  to  alkali,  showing 
the  yellow  leaves  with  blackened  tips;  they  had  no  fruit. 

The  samples  from  the  "best  trees"  are  from  the  northern  part  of  the 
pear  block.  The  trees  are  Kennedy  varieties  and  were  planted  long  before 
the  alkali  had  encroached  on  them;  so  that  their  roots  have  escaped 
attack,  although  the  amount  of  alkali  is  greater  than  under  the  other 
trees. 

The  results  would  seem  to  show  that  while  the  pear  can  tolerate  as 
much  as  1,400  pounds  of  common  salt  and  1,800  pounds  of  carbonate 
per  acre  in  four  feet,  it  is  seriously  affected  by  38,000  pounds  of  the 


—  20  — 

sulfate,  for  it  is  hardly  possible  that  an  addition  of  320  pounds  of  car- 
bonate in  the  four  feet  per  acre  would  produce  the  damage. 

In  another  locality  the  trees  were  killed  in  land  whose  surface  soil 
contained  4,600  pounds  of  carbonate  and  18,000  pounds  of  common  salt 
in  a  total  of  62,000  pounds. 


Plums.—  The  Robe  de  Sergent  plum  at  the  Tulare  substation  is  on  its 
own  stock  and  suffering  very  severely  from  alkali,  as  shown  in  the 
photograph  on  plate  6.  The  tree  was  dwarfed,  and  the  limbs  were  los- 
ing their  leaves.  The  amount  of  alkali  in  this  case  was  not  large,  only 
26,240  pounds,  and  amounts  of  the  carbonate  and  common  salt  were  also 


—  21  — 

comparatively  small.     This  plum,  therefore,  is  one  of  the  most  sensitive 
of  trees  to  the  effects  of  alkali  salts. 

Prunes. — Prune  trees,  if  grown  on  Myrobalan  stock,  should  be  highly 
tolerant  of  alkali  salts,  for  that  stock  is  a  native  of  Asia  Minor,  where 
alkali  abounds.  We  have  thus  far  been  unable  to  secure  samples  of 
soil  where  the  trees  showed  the  effect  of  alkali.  At  the  Tulare  sub- 
station the  amount  in  their  soils  was  only  about  12,000  pounds  per  acre 
in  four  feet,  and  of  this  only  1,360  was  of  carbonate  and  1,200  of  common 
salt.  It  is  said  that  at  Hanford,  Kings  County,  the  prune  flourishes 
in  alkali  soils  where  the  peach  is  severely  affected;  we  may  therefore 
place  the  power  of  tolerance  at  quite  high  figures  for  common  salt  at 
least.  If  it  be  true  that  this  fruit  tree  can  withstand  a  very  large 
amount  of  common  salt  it  will  prove  of  great  value  in  alkali  regions, 
for  the  carbonate  of  soda  part  of  alkali  can  easily  be  neutralized  by 
gypsum. 

Walnuts. — Samples  of  soil  were  sent  from  an  orchard  near  Anaheim, 
Orange  County,  in  which  "  walnut  trees  have  been  planted,  but  they 
soon  died  and  the  roots  rotted  very  quickly,  while  outside  of  this  spot 
they  do  exceptionally  well."  The  examination  of  the  samples  showed 
the  presence  of  18,000  pounds  of  common  salt  and  about  the  same 
amount  of  sulfates  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth. 

VINEYARDS. 

A  large  part  of  the  Tulare  substation  tract  is  occupied  by  grapes 
representing  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  varieties.  Alkali  spots  have 
appeared  here  and  there  (by  rise  from  below  through  use  of  irrigation 
water),  and  in  several  instances  the  salts  have  seriously  affected  the 
vines.  The  results  of  the  examination  of  the  soils  forcibly  illustrate 
the  fact  that  the  susceptibility  of  the  vine  varies  according  to  variety, 
and  that  while  some  are  tolerant  of  very  large  amounts  of  carbonate  of 
soda  and  common  salt,  others  succumb  to  the  effect  of  far  less  of  each. 


Alkali  in  Vineyard  Soils. 


3 

a. 

Per  Cent  in  Soil. 

Pounds  per  Acre:  4  ft.  depth. 

Grapevines. 

3 

co 
c 

ft 

OB 

o 

P 

3- 

o 

o 
cr 
o 

pi 

o 

E 

GO 

COP  8? 

£.££ 

— 'CD 

a 

*~»P 

p  o* 

cob 

O  P 
go  <B 

.   o 

H 
o 

COP 

£. 

on 

Persian 

Lived ... 

Barelv  livpd 

.144 

.072 
.205 
.255 
.247 
.188 
.160 

.063 
.214 
.311 
.003 
.005 
.004 
.030 

.077 
.005 
.091 
.028 
.031 
.028 
.006 

.284 
.291 
.607 
.286 
.283 
.220 
.196 

17,290 
8,670 
24,640 
40,800 
39,520 
30,080 
25,640 

7,550 

25,620 

37,280 

480 

800 

640 

4,760 

9,640 

640 

10,890 

4,480 

4,960 

3,680 

960 

34,480 
34,930 
72,810 
45,760 
45,280 
34,400 
31,360 

Persian _ 

Persian 

Died 
Thrift 

Sauvignon  vert 

v 

Chasselas 

Thrifty 

Thrifty 

Thrifty 

Boal  de  Madeira . 

Mission  Grape 

22  — 


Alkali  in  Vineyard  Soil— Continued. 


Grapevines. 


Per  Cent  in  Soil. 


Pounds  per  Acre;  4  ft.  depth. 


CD  2, 

c  » 


coo 


Mission  Grape 

Trousseau 

Verdal 

Teinturier  male  

Thompson's  Seedless 

Burger 

Meunier..      

Meunier 

Meunier.   

Flame  Tokay 

Flame  Tokay 

Pedro  Jimenes 

Pedro  Jimenes 

Negro 

Negro 


Not  growing 

Thrifty 

Thrifty 

Thrifty 

Thrifty 

Thrifty 

Thrifty 

Suffered  

Died 

Thrifty 

Not  growing 

Thrifty 

Not  growing 

Thrifty 

Not  growing 


.416 
.170 
.160 
.150 
.134 
.120 
.094 
.209 
.207 
.070 
.116 
.067 
.110 
.081 
.206 


.010 
.007 
.003 
.003 
.003 
.005 
.010 
.007 
.007 
.045 
.031 
.023 
.029 
.012 
.022 


.006 
.019 
.023 
.029 
.013 
.090 
.006 
.012 
.018 
.004 
.005 
.004 
.006 

.005 


.432 
.196 
.186 
.182 
.150 
.215 
.110 
.228 
.232 
.119 
.152 
.094 
.145 
.093 
.233 


66,520 
27,200 
25,600 
24,000 
21,480 
19,200 
15,040 
33,440 
33,120 
11,200 
18,560 
10,680 
17,600 
12,960 
33,000 


1,560 

1,120 

480 

480 

520 

800 

1,600 

1,120 

1,120 

5,560 

4,960 

3,600 

4,640 

1,920 

3,480 


920 

3,040 

3,680 

4,640 

2,040 

1,440 

960 

1,920 

2,880 

600 

800 

600 

960 

800 


69,000 
31,360 
29,760 
29,120 
24,040 
21,440 
17,600 
36,480 
37,120 
17,360 
24,320 
14,880 
23,200 
14,880 
37,280 


Of  the  above  fourteen  varieties  of  grapes  the  Persian  withstands  the 
effects  of  alkali  the  best,  especially  of  carbonate  of  soda  and  common  salt. 
There  seems  but  little  doubt  that  it  would  flourish  in  soils  containing 
one  tenth  of  one  per  cent  of  common  salt,  or  an  equivalent  of  16,000 
pounds  per  acre  in  four  feet.  The  tolerance  for  carbonate  of  soda  is  great, 
for  in  the  presence  of  more  than  two  tenths  of  one  per  cent,  or  25,600 
pounds  per  acre,  it  managed  to  keep  alive,  thus  indicating  a  true  toler- 
ance of  probably  15,000  or  perhaps  20,000  pounds  per  acre  in  four  feet. 

For  other  varieties  the  limits  vary  greatly,  some  being  more  sensitive 
to  the  several  salts  than  others.  The  Sauvignon  vert  and  Chasselas 
appear  to  be  more  tolerant  of  glauber  salt  and  common  salt  than  were 
other  varieties,  for  they  made  a  fine  growth  in  the  presence  of  about 
40,000  pounds  of  sulfate  and  5,000  pounds  of  common  salt  per  acre  in 
four  feet.  The  Teinturier  male  would  probably  be  their  equal,  for  its 
amount  of  common  salt  was  nearly  the  same. 

The  amount  of  carbonate  of  soda  (black  alkali)  which  the  grape  is  able 
to  withstand  was  in  a  few  cases  fairly  well  shown,  especially  where  the 
common  salt  was  low.  Thus  the  Flame  Tokay  grew  well  in  soil  with  5,500 
pounds  of  carbonate,  and  the  Mission  in  presence  of  4,700  pounds.  Un- 
fortunately the  sulfate  of  soda  is  also  very  largely  present  and  influences 
the  results;  thus  the  Flame  Tokay  was  clearly  killed  by  the  18,560  pounds 
of  sulfate  in  conjunction  with  a  large  amount  of  carbonate.  And  yet  a 
number  of  other  varieties  easily  grow  in  twice  this  amount  of  sulfate. 

The  Meunier  is  very  sensitive  to  alkali  salts  and  succumbed  to  small 
amounts  of  carbonate  and  common  salt  combined  with  33,000  pounds 
of  sulfate,  which  was  less  than  that  in  which  many  other  varieties  grew 
well.  As  a  rule,  grapevines  seem  to  easily  withstand  30,000  pounds  of 
sulfate,  and  5,000  of  carbonate  and  common  salt  each. 


23  — 


NOTE    ON  THE    EFFECT    OF  ALKALI  SALTS    UPON  THE    GROWTH    OF   GRAPEVINES 
AND    ON    THE    COMPOSITION    OF   GRAPES. 

By  A.  M.  dal  Piaz. 

The  injurious  effect  of  strong  alkali  salts  upon  fruits  in  general  is 
well  known;  grapevines  are  no  exception,  for  strong  alkali  will  kill 
them  and  weaker  alkali  affects  them  proportional  to  its  strength  and 
composition.  The  effect  of  alkali  upon  the  vine  and  its  product  is  a 
matter  of  economic  interest,  and  an  investigation  on  this  subject  was 
begun  by  the  writer  upon  vines  at  the  Tulare  substation  in  1900,  and 
the  results  are  here  briefly  presented;  analyses  of  the  alkali  soils  in 
which  the  vines  were  growing  were  made  in  the  station  laboratory  by 
Mr.  Snow. 

The  vines  of  the  Burger,  Sauvignon  vert,  and  Trousseau  were  growing 
partly  in  weak  and  partly  in  strong  alkali  soils.  The  grapes  of  each 
variety  did  not  show  any  marked  difference  in  size,  excepting  where 
growing  in  strong  alkali;  but  the  vines  themselves  were  there  con- 
siderably shorter  in  growth,  and  therefore  the  bunches  and  berries  were 
smaller  and  more  advanced  in  maturity. 

The  Meunier  is  growing  about  an  alkali  spot,  partly  on  weak  alkali 
and  showing  a  healthy  growth,  partly  on  stronger  alkali  and  showing  a 
shorter  growth,  and  were  killed  on  still  stronger  alkali.  The  following 
table  gives  the  composition  of  these  alkali  soils,  to  which  is  added  the 
results  of  examination  of  the  sugar,  acid,  ash,  and  tannin  in  the  grapes 
grown  respectively  on  the  weak  and  the  strong  alkali: 

Pounds  of  Alkali  Salts  per  Acre  in  Four  Feet  Depth. 


Sauviguon  Vert. 

Burger. 

Trousseau. 

Meunier. 

Weak 
Alkali. 

Strong 
Alkali. 

Weak 
Alkali. 

Strong 
Alkali. 

Weak 
Alkali. 

.  Strong 
Alkali. 

Weak 
Alkali. 

Strong 
Alkali. 

Strong 
Alkali. 

Sulfates 

Carbonate 

Chlorid 

21,760 
1,280 

4,480 

40,800 

480 

4,480 

19,200 

800 

1,440 

21,280 

640 

1,440 

20,480 

480 

4,000 

27,200 
1,120 
3,040 

15,040 

1,600 

960 

33,440 
1,120 
1,920 

33,120 
1,120 
2,880 

Total 

25,520 

45,760 

21,440 

23,360 

24,960 

31,360 

17,600 

36,480 

37,120 

Composition  of  Grapes:    August  24,  1900. 


Sugar  %  .. 
Acid  %  ... 
Ash%.__. 
Tannin  %. 


26.39 

24.43 

20.24 

20.60 

25.75 

24.64 

26.86 

24.53 

.38 

.65 

.71 

.59 

.47 

.50 

.45 

.50 

.28 

.37 

.33 

.33 

.49 

.36 

.36 

.40 

.147 

.155 

.159 

.167 

1 

Vines 
killed. 


—  24  — 

The  four  grape  varieties  of  the  above  table,  grown  on  weak  and  strong 
alkali  soils,  show  differences  in  growth  and  grape  composition  remark- 
ably well.  The  sugar  content  seems  to  have  throughout  the  tendency 
of  decreasing  with  increasing  strength  of  the  alkali  salts;  this  is  shown 
by  the  varieties  of  Sauvignon  vert,  Trousseau,  and  Meunier.  The  Burger 
does  not  show  this,  because  of  the  nearly  equal  strength  of  alkali  in  both 
soils. 

The  total  acidity  of  the  grapes  seems  to  be  less  influenced  by  vari- 
ations in  strength  of  alkali;  three  of  the  varieties  show  an  increase  with 
increased  alkali.  This  increase  of  total  acidity  and  decrease  of  sugar 
content  in  strong  alkali  soils  is  doubtless  caused  by  the  diminished  vigor 
and  poor  growth  of  the  vines  in  such  soils. 

The  analysis  of  the  red  wine  varieties,  Trousseau  and  Meunier,  indi- 
cates a  slight  rise  of  tannin  with  increasing  strength  of  alkali  in  the 
soils;  this  increase  is,  however,  too  small  for  drawing  any  final  conclu- 
sions. 

The  above  results  seem  to  indicate  some  important  facts  worthy  of 
being  made  known.  First  of  all,  the  quality  of  wine  grapes  of  the 
Tulare  region  does  not  decrease  with  increasing  strength  of  alkali  in  the 
soil,  at  least  up  to  a  certain  limit  of  total  salts.  The  increase  of  total 
acidity  of  the  grapes  grown  in  stronger  alkali  is  of  special  value  in  the 
making  of  sound  wines  in  similar  localities,  while  the  decrease  of  sugar 
content  secures  at  the  same  time  a  wine  not  too  alcoholic.  The  practi- 
cal wine-making  experiments  with  Tulare  grapes,  undertaken  by  the 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  have  indicated  this  fact:  they  have 
shown  that  sound,  light  table- wines,  excellent  for  blending  purposes,  or 
as  light  neutral  wines  for  consumption,  could  be  made  of  grapes  grown 
on  such  alkali  soils. 

The  growing  of  raisin  grapes  in  strong  alkali  soils  cannot  be  recom- 
mended, as  the  tendency  of  the  sugar  content  to  decrease  with  increas- 
ing alkali  results  in  the  production  of  an  inferior  raisin. 


GRAIN. 


Observations  have  been  made  for  a  number  of  years  on  the  grains  of 
the  experiment  station  at  Tulare,  and  it  has  been  proven  that  they  will 
grow  in  alkali  soils  where  there  is  an  absence  of  so  much  carbonate  of 
soda  as  would  corrode  the  tender  crowns  of  the  roots.  Some  of  the 
results  were  published  in  the  Report  for  1894-5,  and  are  included  in  the 
table  below: 


—  25 


Alkali  Salts  in  Grain  Lands. 


Condition. 


Per  Cent  in  Soil. 


Pounds  per  Acre;  4  ft.  depth. 


CO 


O 

CfJJl 

SB  o* 

~o 

cod 

O  SO 


£b2. 

:  o 


Wheat— 

Tulare — Russian , 
Plot 


n\ 


Plot  16 


Armona. 


3  feet  high. 
20  in.  high. 
6  in.  high.. 

Good 

Medium ... 
Very  poor . 
Dead 


Gluten  Wheat — 
Tulare 


Barley — 
Tulare  . 
Tulare  . 
Tulare  . 
Hynes  . 


4  feet  high. 
Good 


4  feet  high.. 
Yield  1  ton. 

Dead 

Dead 


Rye- 

Tulare 


.064 
.095 
.213 
.089 
.126 
.289 
.144 


.027 
.131 

.063 
.150 
.061 
.076 


.061 


.006 
.009 
.023 
.005 
.001 
.002 
.026 


.019 
.012 

.074 
.028 
.117 
.020 


.006 


.007 
.004 
.017 
.007 
.025 
.054 
.034 


.001 
.009 


.015 
.064 
.020 
.056 


.011 


.077 
.108 
.253 
.101 
.152 
.345 
.204 


.047 
.152 


.152 
.242 
.198 
.152 


.078 


10,240 
15,120 


1,000 
1,480 


34,120     3,640 


14,160 
20,120 
46,160 


720 
200 
360 


23,040     4,180 


4,240  3,000 

20,960  1,880 

10,720  12,170 

12,020  2,200 

9,760  18,720 

12,160  3,200 


9,800 


960 


1,120 
680 
2,680 
1,160 
3,920 
8,680 
5,360 


200 
1,480 

2,630 
5,100 
3,200 
8,960 


1,720 


12,360 
17,280 
40,440 
16,040 
24,240 
55,200 
32,580 


7,440 
24,320 

25,520 
19,320 
31,680 
24,320 


12,480 


Wheat.— The  Russian  wheats,  received  from  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture,  were  planted  in  plot  12  of  the  Tulare  substation.  The 
rows  extended  across  an  alkali  spot  and  presented  heights  corresponding 
to  the  strength  of  alkali;  that  in  the  soil  of  strongest  alkali  being  about 
six  inches,  that  at  the  end  of  the  rows  where  alkali  was  weak  having  a 
height  of  several  feet.  Samples  of  soil  were  taken  at  the  two  extremes 
and  at  a  medium  point,  as  shown  in  the  table  above.  The  gradation  in 
size  seems  to  follow  a  similar  gradation  in  amount  of  carbonate  of  soda, 
in  inverse  order,  the  smaller  the  carbonate  the  higher  the  stalk  of  wheat, 
1,480  pounds  being  about  the  limit  of  tolerance.  The  amount  of 
common  salt  was  rather  small  to  influence  the  results  with  the  Rus- 
sian wheats,  but  on  plot  16  with  other  varieties  it  seemed  to  be  the 
chief  agent,  the  grain  suffering  more  and  more  as  the  salt  increased,  a 
medium  height  occurring  where  there  was  3,920  pounds  per  acre  in  four 
feet  depth.  The  plot  on  which  this  wheat  was  planted  is  quite  sandy 
and  deep,  with  a  thin  incrustation  of  alkali  on  the  surface,  especially 
where  the  grain  was  poorest. 

On  plot  16,  and  in  fact  on  all  of  the  northwest  corner  of  the  station 
which  is  given  to  wheat,  the  ground  was  covered  with  a  thick  and  white 
crust  of  alkali  salts,  even  where  the  grain  was  several  feet  in  height. 
The  soil  here  is  more  of  a  loamy  nature  than  that  of  plot  12,  and  was 
once  a  black  alkali  spot  utterly  bare  of  vegetation,  but  has  been  reclaimed 
by  applications  of  gypsum. 


—  26  - 

The  sample  from  Armona,  Kings  County,  is  from  land  once  included 
in  Tulare  Lake  region,  but  long  left  dry  by  the  drying-up  of  the  lake. 
Here  the  wheat  died  in  presence  of  4,180  pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda 
and  5,360  pounds  of  common  salt,  each  being  above  the  probable  limits 
of  tolerance. 

From  the  results  thus  far  obtained  we  would  judge  that  wheat  should 
do  well  in  deep  and  loose  soils  having  not  more  than  20,000  pounds  of 
total  alkali,  of  which  there  is  not  more  than  1,200  pounds  each  of  car- 
bonate of  soda  and  common  salt  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth. 


_________ 

■ 

m 

rTr.Sr 

M^&ktcm,^^ 

:y\>*T':i  T             "  ■ 

"'■«■ 

Alfalfa. 


Gluten  Wheat. 


Goat's  Rue. 


PLATE  7.    Grain  and  Fodder  Plants;  Tulare  Substation. 


Gluten  Wheat. — Gluten  wheat  at  Tulare  attained  a  splendid  growth 
in  presence  of  24,300  pounds  of  alkali,  of  which  nearly  1>500  pounds 
was  common  salt.  In  another  spot,  as  shown  in  the  photograph 
(plate  7),  it  also  grew  well  in  as  much  as  3,000  pounds  of  carbonate  of 
soda  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth. 

Barley. — The  fact  is  shown  in  the  table  that  barley  grew  to  a  height 
of  four  feet  in  land  containing  more  than  12,000  pounds  of  carbonate  of 
soda  per  acre  in  four  feet,  and  produced  one  ton  of  hay  per  acre  in  pres- 
ence of  more  than  5,000  pounds  of  common  salt.  It  is  therefore  better 
adapted  to  alkali  land  than  is  wheat.     It  was  killed  by  18,720  pounds 


—  27  — 

of  carbonate  of  soda,  as  would  happen  with  most  plants.  At  Hynes,  in 
Los  Angeles  County,  it  was  killed  by  8,960  pounds  of  common  salt, 
3,000  of  which  was  in  the  upper  six  inches. 

Rye. — A  fair  test  has  not  been  given  to  rye  as  to  its  capabilities  of 
withstanding  alkali  salts,  for  the  amount  found  in  the  soil  in  which  it 
was  growing  at  the  Tulare  substation  was  very  small. 

LEGUMES  AND  FODDER  PLANTS. 

Special  efforts  have  been  made  to  obtain  samples  of  soil  from  where 
these  plants  were  growing  well  in  strongest  alkali  and  where  they  were 
severely  affected  by  it,  but  we  have  been  only  partially  successful.  The 
Tulare  substation  has  naturally  furnished  most  of  them,  and  further 
experiments  and  planting  of  those  cultures  which  do  not  appear  in  the 
table  will  have  to  be  made. 


Alkali  in  Soils  of  Forage  Crops. 

Per  Cent  in  Soil. 

Pounds  per  Acre:  4  ft.  depth. 

CO 
13 

8? 

ST 

a 

O 

e 

o 
o 

s 

o 

E 

CO 

SB  s=  s- 

o 
^s» 

CO  -1 

co  a" 

COB 
O  p 

o 
;  o 

o 

E 

CD 

£. 

CO 

Alfalfa (young) — 
Tulare,          (Good. ..1st  foot 
1  mi.N.E.  \                 2d  foot 
(    Total  in  4  feet 

.077 

.060 
.059 

.006 
.004 
.008 

"".610 

.004 

.083 
.074 
.071 

3,080 
2,400 
9,440 

240 

160 

1,280 

"""400 
680 

3,320 

2,960 

11,400 

(Dead. ..1st  foot 

1  mi.s.w.  \                2d  foot 

(    Total  in  4  feet 

.145 
.103 
.077 

.016 

.010 
.011 

.010 

.010 
.007 

.171 
.123 
.095 

5,800 

4,120 

12,280 

640 

400 
1,680 

400 
400 

1,080 

6,840 

4,920 

15,040 

(Dead. ..1st  foot 

1  mi.  s.e.  \                2d  foot 

(  Total  in  4  feet 

.230 
.084 
.101 

.026 
.014 
.013 

.256 
.098 
.114 

9,200 

3,360 

16,160 



1,040 
560 

2,080 

10,240 

3,920 

18,240 

Chino— Good ...1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  2  feet 

.104 
.071 
.088 

.051 
.008 
.030 

".005 
.003 

.155 
.084 
.121 

4,160 
2,960 
7,000 

2,040 

320 

2,360 

""""200 
200 

6,200 
3,480 
9,560 

Fair. .1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  2  feet 

.241 
.037 
.139 

.014 
.017 
.016 

.019 

".bio 

.274 
.054 
.165 

9,640 

1,480 

11,120 

560 

680 

1,240 

760 
"""760 

10,960 

2,160 

13,120 

Killed 1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  2  feet 

.289 
.023 
.156 

.022 

.022 
.022 

.009 
.005 
.007 

.320 
.050 
.185 

11,560 

920 

12,480 

880 

880 

1,760 

360 
200 
560 

12,800 

2,000 

14,800 

Alfalfa  (4  years  old)— 

Yuma— Splendid 4  feet 

6  feet 

.462 
.427 

.009 
.009 

.027 
.024 

.498 
.460 

73,960 
102,480 

1,400 
2,080 

4,400 
5,760 

79,760 
110,320 

Turkestan  Alfalfa— Good... 

.023 

.014 

.007 

.044 

3,680 

2,240 

1,120 

7,040 

Lupin,  European— Good 

Medium ... 
Failure 

.034 
.168 
.250 

.017 
.009 
.004 

.019 

.047 
.038 

.070 
.224 
.292 

5,440 
26,880 
40,000 

2,720 

1,440 

640 

3,040 
7,520 
6,080 

11,200 
35,840 
46,720 

28  — 


Alkali  in 

Soils 

of  Forage  Crops— 

Continued. 

Per  Cent  in  Soil. 

Pounds  per  Acre;  4  ft.  depth. 

CO 

ST 

CO 

o 
R 

O 

s 

o 
tr 

o 

H 
o 

E 

Sulfates 
(Glauber 
Salt).... 

Carbonate 
(Sal  Soda). 

o 

SB* 

'    o 

2 

E 

CO 
CO 

Hairy  Vetch— 

Plot  8— Fair ...1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 

.621 
.616 
.398 

.014 

.027 
.016 

.045 
.011 
.020 

.680 
.654 
.434 

24,840 
24,640 
63,720 

560 
1,080 

2,480 

1,800 

440 

3,160 

27,200 
26,160 
69,360 

Plot  12— Good 1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 

.458 
.162 
.180 

.003 
.010 
.010 

.009 
.014 
.008 

.470 
.186 
.198 

18,320 
6,480 

28,840 

120 

400 

1,640 

360 
560 

1,280 

18,800 

7,440 

31,760 

Very  poor..  1st  foot 

2d  foot 

Total  in  4  feet 

1.178 
.220 
.395 

.018 
.024 
.025 

.138 
.032 
.047 

1.334 
.276 
.467 

47,120 

8,800 

63,120 

720 

960 

3,960 

5,520 
1,280 

7,480 

53,360 
11,040 
74,560 

Bur  Clover — Good 

.057 

.113 

.170 

5,700 
4,920 

11,300 
480 

17,000 
5,840 

White  Melilot — Good 

.031 

.003 

.003 

.037 

440 

Goat's  Rue— Splendid 

.068 

.005 

.001 

.074 

10,880 

760 

160 

11,800 

Sorghum — Splendid 

.387 

.062 

.061 

.510 

61,840 
6,800 

9,840 
4,760 

9,680 
40,860 

81,360 
52,420 

Modiola— Splendid  ...1st  foot 

.170 

.119 

1.021 

1.310 

Jersey  Kale— Plot  8. .1st  foot 

2d  foot 

Total  in  4  feet 

.854 

.285 
.322 

.013 

.009 
.023 

.009 
.056 
.019 

.876 
.350 
.364 

34,160 
11,400 
51,480 

520 

360 

3,600 

360 
2,240 
3,000 

35,040 
14,000 
58,080 

Essex  Rape— Plot  8. ..1st  foot 

2d  foot 

Total  in  4  feet 

1.141 
.232 
.391 

.011 
.023 
.034 

.014 
.037 
.015 

1.166 
.292 
.440 

45,640 

9,280 

62,560 

440 

920 
5,480 

560 
1,480 
2,440 

46,640 
11,680 

70,480 

Saltbushes— 

Atriplex  semibaccata 

Atriplex  pamparum 

.785 
.047 

.116 
.091 

.078 

.979 
.138 

125,640 

7,560 

i 

18,560 
14,600 

12,520 

156,720 
22,240 

Alfalfa. — As  this  is  the  most  important  of  the  fodder  plants  of  the 
State,  we  have  made  special  efforts  to  ascertain  the  limits  of  tolerance 
of  the  various  salts  of  alkali,  but  have  been  largely  disappointed,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  the  amount  varies  according  to  the  stage  of  growth 
of  the  plant.  When  young  its  roots  are  very  tender  and  sensitive  to 
the  corrosive  action  of  carbonate  of  soda,  and  being  confined  to  the 
upper  foot  or  two  of  the  soil  are  fully  within  its  reach.  But  when  the 
roots  are  older  and  have  penetrated  deeply  into  the  soil,  the  root-crown 
has  become  more  corky  and  hardened  and  less  sensitive,  so  that  they 
are  enabled  to  withstand  a  far  larger  amount  of  the  alkali. 

These  facts  are  clearly  shown  in  the  results  given  in  the  table.  From 
the  country  around  Tulare  Mr.  Forrer,  the  foreman  of  the  substation, 
obtained  many  samples  of  soil  from  alfalfa  fields  where  the  plant  was 
growing  and  where  it  had  died.  The  maximum  amount  of  total  alkali 
found  to  a  depth  of  four  feet  where  the  plant  was  growing  well  was 
11,360  pounds,  in  which  there  was  very  little  common  salt  and  1,300 


—  29  — 

pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda;  while  a  short  distance  from  this,  where 
the  plant  had  died,  there  was  about  the  same  amount  of  total  alkali,  but 
containing  1,100  pounds  of  common  salt  and  1,600  pounds  of  carbonate. 
In  the  first  case  the  carbonate  was  chiefly  in  the  lower  third  and  fourth 
feet,  while  where  the  crop  was  dead  the  carbonate  was  chiefly  in  the 
upper  two  feet. 

At  the  substation  farm  near  Chino  the  results  were  very  similar; 
alfalfa  made  a  fair  growth  in  the  presence  of  1,240  pounds  of  carbonate, 
and  was  killed  by  1,760  pounds  in  the  upper  two  feet,  the  common  salt 
being  low  and  the  sulfate  high  in  both  cases.  It  is  also  very  worthy  of 
note  that  on  the  same  plot  the  plant  grew  splendidly  with  a  larger 
amount  of  carbonate  of  soda  (2,360  pounds),  because  nearly  all  of  the 
salt  was  held  in  the  upper  foot  of  soil  and  hence  probably  above  the 
feeding  roots.  There  was  only  a  trace  of  common  salt  here,  and  but 
little  in  the  second  foot. 

The  tolerance  of  young  alfalfa  may  then  be  placed  at  about  1,200 
pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda,  750  pounds  of  common  salt,  and  12,000 
pounds  of  sulfate  per  acre  in  the  upper  two  feet  of  soil.  But  when  the 
plant  is  older  and  its  roots  become  firmly  fixed  in  the  soil,  penetrating 
it  deeply  and  spreading  out  laterally,  the  limits  of  toleration  far  exceed 
the  above  figures,  even  to  an  extent  almost  beyond  belief.  This  is 
largely  due  to  the  perfect  shading  of  the  ground,  thereby  preventing 
the  rise  of  the  alkali. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Yuma,  alfalfa  fields  were  seen  by  Mr.  F.  J. 
Snow  (student  assistant  in  the  laboratory)  to  be  strongly  charged  with 
alkali  and  yet  to  be  in  fine  condition.  He  was  told  that  four  years  were 
required  in  getting  a  full  stand,  but  after  that  the  plant  grew  luxu- 
riantly, yielding  seven  cuttings  per  year.  The  amount  and  character 
of  the  salts  in  the  soil  are  given  in  the  table.  From  another  field  where 
the  alfalfa  was  also  growing  luxuriantly  Mr.  Snow  found  similar 
amounts  of  alkali  of  quite  nearly  the  composition  given  above,  except 
that  the  total  in  the  first  foot  was  nearly  17,000  pounds  (.424  per  cent) 
instead  of  15,000. 

The  plot  of  alfalfa  growing  near  the  gluten  wheat  at  the  Tulare  sub- 
station, shown  in  the  photograph  (plate  7),  left  side,  is  on  a  soil  con- 
taining 3,440  pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda;  but  this  salt  is  chiefly  held 
below  the  upper  two  feet  of  soil,  thus  giving  the  feeding  roots  freedom 
from  its  action.  The  rise  of  the  alkali  is  prevented  from  evaporation  by 
the  dense  shading  of  the  foliage. 

Professor  BufTum,  of  the  Wyoming  Experiment  Station,  has  found 
that  alfalfa  was  killed  in  a  total  of  .706  per  cent  of  alkali  in  the  surface 
foot,  all  except  .041  per  cent  of  chlorid  being  sulfates  of  soda  and 
magnesia.  This  would  be  equivalent  to  28,240  pounds  of  total  alkali 
per  acre-foot  and  1,640  pounds  of  chlorid.     He  also  found  that  it  grew 


—  30  — 


in  .152  per  cent  of  alkali  in  the  surface  foot,  equivalent  to  6,080  pounds 
per  acre;  but  this  is  more  than  doubled  in  the  Yuma  soil,  as  shown  in 
the  table. 

While,  therefore,  alfalfa  is  easily  killed  by  alkali  when  young,  it 
will  tolerate  as  much  as  6,000  pounds  of  common  salt,  3,000  pounds 
of  carbonate,  and  102,000  pounds  of  sulfate  in  six  feet  per  acre  if  it  suc- 
ceeds in  getting  a  good  start  and  in  sending  its  roots  below  the  surface  of 
the  soil;  and  especially  if  the  greater  part  of  the  alkali  be  sulfates.  It  is 
therefore  very  essential  that  prior  to  sowing  alfalfa  the  alkali  salts  should 
be  leached  downward  from  the  surface  by  thorough  irrigation,  until  the 
plant  is  old  enough  to  resist  their  attack  by  the  hardening  of  its  root- 
crown. 

The  importance  of  thoroughly  washing  the  alkali  deeply  into  the  soil 
before  the  seed  is  planted,  and  keeping  it  there  by  proper  means  until 
the  foliage  of  the  plant  shades  the  soil  sufficiently  to  prevent  the  rise  of 
moisture  and  alkali,  is  well  illustrated  in  fields  in  the  region  of  Bakers- 
field,  where  alfalfa  is  now  growing  in  soils  once  heavily  charged  with 
alkali.  From  one  of  these  fields  samples  of  soil  were  taken  by  us  where 
the  alkali  was  supposed  to  be  strongest  beneath  the  alfalfa,  and  also  from 
an  adjoining  untreated  alkali  spot  which  was  said  to  represent  condi- 
tions before  alfalfa  was  planted.  The  results  are  given  in  pounds  per 
acre  in  four  feet  depth. 


Sulfates. 

Carbonate. 

Common 
Salt. 

Total 
Alkali. 

Alkali  spot  before  alfalfa  was  planted  _. 
Alfalfa  field  ;  alkali  washed  down 

60,120 
14,400 

720 

175,840 
1,040 

236,680 
18,640 

In  the  natural  alkali  soil  the  salts  are  distributed  downward,  some- 
what evenly,  except  that  there  are  in  the  surface  foot  nearly  140,000 
pounds  of  common  salt,  while  in  the  alfalfa  field  the  alkali  salts  are 
chiefly  below  the  second  foot.  A  closer  examination  would  doubtless 
have  shown  the  main  body  of  alkali  to  have  been  washed  down  to  six 
feet  from  the  surface,  or  even  deeper. 

Too  much  emphasis  cannot,  therefore,  be  placed  upon  the  importance 
of  thus  controlling  alkali  and  keeping  it  below  a  depth  of  four  or  five 
feet. 

Blue  European  Lupin. — The  plot  in  which  the  lupins  were  grown  has 
the  greater  part  of  its  alkali  within  the  upper  two  feet,  while  in  that 
part  where  the  lupins  failed  three-fourths  of  the  common  salt  and  the 
sulfates  was  held  in  the  first  foot  itself.  Both  the  common  salt  and 
sulfates  seem  to  be  responsible  for  the  failure  of  the  lupins,  and  it  is  clear 
that  it  cannot  withstand  more  than  3,000  pounds  of  the  former   per 


—  31  — 

acre;  of  the  carbonate  of  soda  it  will  tolerate  as  much  as  and  perhaps 
more  than  3,000  pounds  per  acre. 

Hairy  Vetch. — This  fodder  and  green-manuring  plant  grew  fairly  well, 
reaching  a  height  of  about  fourteen  inches  and  bloomed  in  land  con- 
taining 2,400  pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda,  3,000  pounds  of  common  salt, 
and  63,700  pounds  of  sulfate  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth.  As  with  the 
lupins  and  the  vegetables,  we  find  that  here,  too,  the  alkali  occurs 
chiefly  in  the  upper  two  feet  of  the  soil,  the  common  salt  especially 
being  in  the  first  foot. 

The  very  large  amount  of  sulfates  tolerated  would  show  that  when 
black  alkali  lands  are  neutralized  with  gypsum,  the  vetch  will  do  fairly 
well,  provided  that  common  salt  is  not  excessive.  The  limit  of  toler- 
ance of  the  latter  is  a  matter  of  doubt,  for  in  the  soil  in  which  the  vetch 
had  a  poor  growth,  there  was  present  about  4,000  pounds  of  carbonate 
in  addition  to  the  7,500  pounds  of  chlorid,  and  to  either  of  these  salts 
may  have  been  due  the  bad  effect.  But  in  both  of  the  soils  examined 
the  carbonate  was  chiefly  in  the  second  and  third  feet,  and  as  its  action 
is  chiefly  upon  the  tender  root-crown  at  the  surface  of  the  soil,  it  would 
seem  that  the  common  salt  was  responsible  for  poor  growth. 

The  foreman  of  the  substation  says  that  when  young  the  vetch  has  a 
tendency  to  lie  flat  on  the  ground,  so  that  on  alkali  soil  it u  burns  "  badly. 

Bur  Clover. — This  clover  was  found  growing  luxuriantly  in  a  small 
field  adjoining  the  hot  sulphur  baths  at  Elsinore,  in  Riverside  County. 
The  soil  received  its  water  from  a  deep  well,  and  was  black  from 
humus  dissolved  in  the  carbonate  of  soda  of  the  alkali.  An  exam- 
ination of  the  soil  to  thirty  inches  depth  showed  the  remarkable 
toleration  of  11,300  pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda  per  acre,  thus  giving 
it  the  rank  of  second  in  this  regard  among  all  the  cultures  examined. 
It  doubtless  is  fully  as  tolerant  as  barley,  which,  aside  from  sorghum, 
heads  the  tolerance  list  of  grasses  thus  far. 

Argentine  Saltbush  (Atriplex  pamparum). — The  Inspector  of  Stations 
says  of  this  saltbush:  " Atriplex  pamparum  was  sent  to  the  Station  by 
President  Rocca  of  the  Argentine  Republic  in  1897,  together  with  seeds 
of  other  species  of  native  saltbushes  recommended  to  him  by  the  botan- 
ists of  that  country.  It  has  thus  far  proved  to  be  the  best  species  at 
Tulare  substation,  growing  in  alkali  soil  to  a  height  of  six  feet  and 
spreading  fourteen  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  a  browsing  plant  and  is  much 
liked  by  sheep.  If  kept  down  by  feeding  it  furnishes  much  succulent 
food  and  is  worth  extensive  trial."  The  examination  of  the  soil  where 
it  grows  luxuriantly  shows  the  presence  of  14,600  pounds  of  carbonate 
of  soda,  an  amount  nearly  equal  to  that  tolerated  by  the  Australian 
saltbush. 


—  32  — 

Australian  Saltbush  (Atriplex  semibaccata). — After  a  number  of  efforts 
we  have  finally  found  this  fodder  plant  growing  well  in  very  strong 
alkali  land,  in  which  the  several  salts  were  in  greatest  amount  within 
two  feet  of  the  surface.  As  it  ranks  high  as  a  fodder  plant  suitable  for 
alkali  soils,  we  give  the  distribution  of  the  salts  in  the  soil-column: 


Alkali  Soil  Growing  Australian  Saltbush. 

Per  Cent  in  Soil. 

Pounds ] 

oer  Acre. 

w 

a 

CO 

a 
g 

o* 
o 

B 

SB 

(0 

a 
o 

Total 

as 

o 

SB 

o 
p 

P 

o 

GOO 

TB 
.    o 

1  B 

o 

E 

First  foot 

2.055 
.634 
.247 
.205 

I 

.284          .121 

2.460 

.834 
.340 

.284 

82,200 

25,360 

9,880 

8,200 

11,360 
3,560 
1,680 
1,960 

4,840 
4,440 
2,040 
1,200 

98,400 
33,360 
13,600 

Second  foot 

.089 

.111 

Third  foot 

.042 
.049 

.051 
.030 

Fourth  foot 

11,360 

Total 

3.141 

.464 

.313 

3.918 

125,640 

18,560 

12,520 

156,720 

These  figures  doubtless  very  nearly  represent  the  maximum  tolerance 
of  the  saltbush. 

Very  young  plants  have,  however,  suffered  or  languished  in  surface 
soils  containing  9,000  pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda  and  11,000  pounds  of 
common  salt,  or  a  total  of  31,000  pounds  of  alkali  salts  per  acre;  and 
have  died  when  the  soil  was  covered  with  an  alkali  crust  containing 
4.0  per  cent  of  carbonate  and  6.0  per  cent  of  common  salt.  The  plant  came 
up  easily  from  the  seed  in  a  soil  containing  5,000  pounds  of  carbonate 
and  3,000  pounds  of  common  salt  per  acre. 

Sorghum. — At  the  Tulare  substation  sorghum  grows  luxuriantly  in  a 
small  tract  having  a  large  amount  of  alkali,  the  surface  often  being 
black  from  humus  held  by  the  carbonate  of  soda.  Irrigation  is  used  on 
the  crop,  and  there  is  therefore  more  alkali  at  the  surface  than  at  the 
third  and  fourth  feet,  although  the  dense  mass  of  the  crop  shades  the  soil 
quite  effectually.  An  examination  of  the  soil  shows  a  higher  amount 
of  alkali  salts  than  in  the  soil  of  any  other  small  culture  thus  far 
examined,  viz.:  81,440  pounds  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth.  The  table  of 
analyses  shows  that  sorghum  can  easily  tolerate  as  much  as  10,000 
pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda,  the  same  of  common  salt,  and  75,000  pounds 
of  glauber  salt  per  acre  in  four  feet.  At  the  time  the  examination  was 
made,  one  half  of  the  total  glauber  salt  was  in  the  upper   foot,  the 


—  33  — 

greater  part  of  the  carbonate  was  in  the  second  and  third  feet,  while  the 
common  salt  was  quite  evenly  distributed  through  the  four  feet. 

White  Melilot. — Plants  of  this  forage  crop  were  found  growing  well 
near  the  "sump"  in  what  was  supposed  to  be  very  strong  alkali,  for  the 
surface  of  the  soil  was  crusted  with  it.  But  results  of  the  examination 
show  that  there  was  less  than  6,000  pounds  of  the  salts  per  acre  in  four 
feet. 

Goafs  Rue  (Galega  officinalis). — A  large  patch  of  this  was  growing  on 
plot  12  by  the  side  of  alfalfa  and  gluten  wheat,  and  each  of  the  three 
cultures  were  in  splendid  condition,  the  Goat's  Rue  being  in  dense  mass 
and  full  growth,  as  shown  on  the  right  side  of  the  photograph  on  page  26. 
Carbonate  of  soda  and  common  salt  were  present  in  the  soil  in  very 
small  amounts,  while  of  the  sulfate  there  was  nearly  11,000  pounds. 
The  soil  is  sandy,  and  this  amount  is  not  excessive.  The  plant  reached 
a  height  of  about  three  and  a  half  feet,  and  three  cuttings  were  obtained. 

Jersey  Kale  and  Essex  Rape. — These  crops  in  the  vegetable  plot  of  the 
Tulare  substation  made  a  splendid  start  in  strong  alkali  soil,  preserving 
a  dense  growth,  full  of  life  and  vigor.  But  each  after  reaching  fourteen 
inches  in  height  succumbed  to  the  dryness  and  heat  of  the  summer. 

Modiola. — No  further  observations  have  been  made  on  this  forage 
plant  than  those  given  in  the  Report  for  1896.  It  was  grown  by  Mr. 
Leckenby  near  Bakersfield  in  soil  containing  more  than  40,000  pounds 
of  common  salt  and  about  5,000  pounds  of  carbonate  of  soda  per  acre, 
in  the  surface  foot.  It  is  chiefly  suited  for  permanent  pasture,  being  of 
low  growth  and  rooted  at  joints,  so  that  it  is  not  readily  cut. 

VEGETABLES    AND    GRASSES. 

The  vegetable  plot  8  is  located  upon  a  strong  alkali  spot  by  the 
side  of  the  main  avenue  of  the  station  along  whose  side  Australian  salt- 
bush  grows  luxuriantly.  The  alkali  in  this  plot  is  of  varying  strength, 
being  strongest  along  the  roadside,  where  we  usually  find  either  failures 
or  very  weak  vegetable  plants.  A  general  view  of  the  plot  with  the 
cultures  as  seen  in  April,  1901,  is  given  in  the  accompanying  photograph 
(plate  8);  a  portion  of  the  orchard,  and  long  lines  of  saltbush  are  also 
seen  on  the  left. 

The  alkali  salts  are  mostly  concentrated  in  the  upper  two  feet  of  the 
soil,  and  their  action  is  therefore  more  energetic  than  if  distributed 
throughout  four  feet  depth. 

3— Bul.  133 


—  34  — 


Alkali  in  Soils  of  Vegetables. 


Per  Cent  in  Soil. 

Pounds  per  Acre. 

TO 

p^ 

a 
p 

cr 
o 
0 

p 

CD 

o 
o 

Si 

| 

E 

Sulfates 
(Glauber 
Salt) 

o 

to* 

£.3* 

TOP 
O  p 

£•!§. 

•   o 

Sugar  Beets — Fair. 

Tulare,  Plot  8 1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 

Plot  12 1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 
Carrots — Fair. 

Tulare,  Plot  8 1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 
Radishes — In  flower. 

Tulare,  Plot  8 1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 
Celery — 
Santa  Ana — Good 

.541 
.381 
.329 

.725 
.337 
.304 

.357 

.088 
.156 

1.012 
.137 
.324 

.340 
1.027 

.563 
.234 
.242 

.832 
.163 
.335 

.812 
.140 
.255 

.008 

.006 

).011 

.003 
.042 
.025 

.014 
.010 
.008 

.024 
.092 
.055 

.010 
.017 
.017 

.002 
.033 
.012 

.015 
.046 
024 

.009 
.075 
.034 

.028 
.009 
.012 

.023 
.016 
.015 

.047 
.009 
.014 

.080 
.276 

.005 
.009 
.009 

.195 
.030 
.061 

.019 
.010 
.010 

.558 
.462 
.374 

.756 

.388 
.341 

.394 
.114 
.179 

1.083 
.238 
.393 

.420 
1.303 

.578 
.260 
.268 

1.029 
.226 
.408 

.846 
.196 

.289 

21,640 
15,240 
52,640 

29,000 
13,480 
48,560 

14,280 
3,520 

24,880 

40,480 

5,480 

51,880 

4,080 
123,240 

22,520 

9,360 

38,720 

33,280 

6,520 

53,600 

32,480 

5,600 

40,720 

320 

240 

1,760 

120 
1,680 
4,000 

560 

400 

1,240 

960 
3,680 
8,720 

400 

680 

2,760 

80 
1,320 
1,920 

600 

1,840 
3,800 

360 
3,000 
5,440 

1,120 

360 

1,920 

920 

640 

2,360 

1,880 

360 

2,240 

9,600 
33,120 

200 

360 

1,480 

7,800 
1,200 
9,760 

760 

400 
1,560 

22,320 
18,480 
59,840 

30,240 
15,520 
54,480 

15,760 
4,560 

28,480 

43,320 

9,520 

62,840 

13,680 
156,360 

23,120 
10,400 
42,960 

41,160 

9,040 

65,280 

33,840 

7,840 

46,080 

Failure 

Artichokes— Fair. 

Tulare,  Plot  8 1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 

Spinach  and  English 

Broad  Beans— Failures. 

Tulare,  Plot  8 1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 

Eleusine  coracana— Failure. 

Tulare ...1st  foot 

2d  foot 
Total  in  4  feet 

Sugar  Beets. — The  sugar  beets  both  on  plot  8  and  on  plot  12  were 
planted  close  together,  and  were  allowed  to  grow  in  that  thick  mass 
instead  of  being  thinned-out  to  allow  of  development  of  root  as  when 
grown  for  their  sugar  content.  The  result  was  that  while  the  tops  were 
large  and  green,  showing  fair  growth,  the  roots  were  about  a  foot  in 
length  with  an  average  diameter  of  about  an  inch  only.  This  small 
size  may  be  largely  attributed  to  the  effect  of  the  severe  climate  as  well 
as  to  the  crowding  of  the  plants,  for  their  leaves  gave  no  indication  of 
suffering  from  the  alkali  in  the  soil.  The  maximum  of  each  salt  toler- 
ated by  the  plant  in  these  two  plots  was  52,000  pounds  of  sulfates, 
4,000  pounds  of  carbonate,  and  5,400  pounds  of  common  salt.  The 
beets  growing  on  plot  8  were  very  small,  the  largest  weighing  but  about 
three  ounces;  a  beet  of  that  size  should  have  a  very  high  sugar  content, 
but  we  find  only  13.1  per  cent  and  a  purity  coefficient  of  80. 

The  largest  beet  on  plot  12,  in  which  there  was  less  alkali  than  in 


—  35  — 

plot   8,   weighed  about  seven  and  one-half  ounces    and   had    a   sugar 
content  of  16.1  per  cent  and  a  purity  coefficient  of  81. 

Previous  results,  given  in  the  Annual  Report  of  this  station  for 
1895-6,  show  that  the  presence  of  3,600  pounds  of  common  salt  in  the 
soil  seriously  affected  the  sugar  content  of  the  beet;  the  above  results 
lower  this  amount  to  1,900  pounds,  and  even  this  seems  to  be  above  the 
limit  in  which  the  beet  can   attain  good  size  and  fair  sugar-percentage. 

Carrots. — The  test  was  made  on  plot  8,  and  in  presence  of  a  total  of 
28,000  pounds  of  alkali,  of  which  2,300  was  common  salt;  the  plant 


PLATE  8.    Vegetable  Tlot  8,  Tulare  Substation. 


1.  Artichokes. 

2.  Carrots. 

3.  Radishes  in  bloom. 


4.  Essex  Rape  and  Jersey  Kale. 

5.  Sunflowers  and  Sugar  Beets. 
Australian  Saltbush  in  rows  on  left. 


grew  well,  the  roots  having  a  length  of  about  10  inches,  but  a  diameter 
of  only  about  three  fourths  of  an  inch;  the  Foreman  of  the  station,  how- 
ever, says  that  they  were  tender  and  of  good  flavor. 

Radishes. — At  the  Tulare  substation  radish  seed  was  planted  in 
what  seems  to  have  been  the  strongest  alkali  of  plot  8,  and  yet  the 
seed  germinated  and  the  plant  reached  maturity,  being  in  flower  at  the 
time  the  photograph  and  soil  samples  were  taken.  While  the  carbonate 
of  soda  was  present  in  very  large  amount  (8,700  pounds),  it  was  chiefly 
held  below  the  upper  foot  of  the  soil  and  therefore  had  no  effect  on  the 


—  36  — 

seed  and  young  plant.  Common  salt  was,  on  the  contrary,  chiefly  in 
the  upper  foot,  as  was  also  the  sulfate  of  soda.  The  radish,  therefore, 
is  capable  of  withstanding  quite  a  large  amount  of  alkali,  if  the  car- 
bonate is  below  the  upper  foot. 

Globe  Artichokes. — The  amount  of  alkali  in  the  soil  where  the  arti- 
chokes were  growing  was  about  43,000  pounds  per  acre,  the  sulfates 
being  largely  in  the  upper  two  feet,  while  more  than  half  of  the  carbon- 
ate of  soda  and  common  salt  respectively  was  below  that  depth. 

Spinach  and  English  Broad  Bean. — These  vegetables  were  grown  on 
very  strong  alkali  soils  and  were  almost  complete  failures.  A  few  scat- 
tering plants  appeared  where  the  carbonate  of  soda  was  only  2,000 
pounds  per  acre  and  chiefly  below  the  first  foot,  but  they  reached  a 
height  of  only  a  few  inches.  The  amount  of  common  salt  was  about 
9,000  pounds  per  acre. 

Spelt  and  Eleusine  coracana  were  both  complete  failures  in  the  pres- 
ence of  40,000  pounds  of  alkali. 

The  Celery  fields  in  the  alluvial  lands  around  Santa  Ana  furnish 
good  examples  of  the  effects  of  alkali  salts,  except  that  no  carbonate  of 
soda  was  found  in  the  samples  kindly  sent  by  Mr.  Cole  from  spots 
where  the  plant  was  growing  well  and  where  the  plant  died.  The 
results  show  that  celery  will  easily  tolerate  as  much  as  10,000  pounds 
of  common  salt  per  acre,  but  is  killed  by  30,000  pounds. 

Onions  have  grown  well  from  the  seed  in  the  black  alluvial  soil  of 
Leonis  Valley,  Mojave  Plateau,  Los  Angeles  County,  which  contained  in 
the  surface  foot  400  pounds  of  common  salt  and  4,000  pounds  of  sulfate 
per  acre. 

Potatoes. — In  the  black  alluvial  soil  of  the  Kern  River  near  Bakers- 
field,  which  held  in  the  first  foot  18,400  pounds  of  alkali  per  acre,  of 
which  4,000  was  carbonate  of  soda  and  6,800  common  salt,  two  crops  of 
potatoes  were  raised  in  a  season,  but  their  keeping  quality  was  very 
poor.     (Report  1896.) 

GRASSES. 

Ray  grass  at  the  Tulare  substation  grew  well  in  a  soil  containing  about 
7,000  pounds  of  alkali  per  acre,  which  held  no  carbonate  and  very 
little  common  salt. 

No  observations  on  the  tolerance  of  alkali  on  the  part  of  grasses,  and 
of  crops  not  given  above,  that  would  increase  the  figures  there  shown, 
or  which  would  throw  more  light  on  the  subject,  have  been  made  since 
those  published  in  the  Report  of  1896.  These  results  show  the  amounts 
in  the  surface  foot  alone  instead  of  in  four  feet  depth;  but  at  Chino, 


—  37  — 

where  the  observations  were  made,  the  bulk  of  the  salts  is  within  the 
first  foot. 

Summarizing  the  data  there  given  we  have  the  following  groupings  of 
maximum  amounts  in  the  surface  foot  per  acre  in  which  the  true  grasses 
have  thus  far  been  found  to  do  well: 

Grasses  Growing  in  Alkali  Soils.    Depth  one  foot. 

Carbonate  of  Soda. 

3,300  lbs.  per  acre:  Japanese  Wheat  Grass,  Barley. 
2,500  to  3,000  lbs.  per  acre:   Awnless  Brome  Grass,   Schrader's  Brome  Grass,   Sheep 

Fescue,  Tall  Fescue. 
2,000  to  2,500  lbs.  per  acre :  Egyptian  Millet,  Hard  Fescue,  Many-Flowered  Paspalum, 

English  Ray  Grass,  Rough-Stalked  Meadow  and  Orchard 
Grass. 
1,000  to  2,000  lbs.  per  acre:   Bearded  Darnel,  Blue  Grass. 
600  to  1,000  lbs.  per  acre:  Meadow    Fescue,    Many-Flowered    Millet,    Meadow    Soft 

Grass,  Italian  Ray  Grass. 

Common  Salt. 

7,040  lbs.  per  acre:   Barley. 
3,000  lbs.  per  acre:  Japanese  Wheat  Grass. 
1,500  lbs.  per  acre:  Schrader's  Brome  Grass. 
900  lbs.  per  acre:  Awnless  Brome  Grass,  Sheep  Fescue,  Tall  Fescue. 
250  to  500  lbs.  per  acre:  Many-Flowered  Millet,  Italian  Ray  Grass,  English   Ray 
Grass,  Bearded  Darnel,  Orchard  Grass. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

There  are  a  number  of  trees  and  other  cultures  growing  upon  the 
alkali  soils  of  the  Tulare  substation  that  are  of  general  interest,  though 
in  some  cases  the  amount  of  alkali  in  their  soils  is  low. 


Miscellaneous  Cultures  and  Trees. 


Tulare  Substation. 


Condition. 


Per  Cent  in  Soil. 


Pounds  per  Acre;  4  ft.  depth. 


CO 

OS 

&£  ffl 

So" 


COB 
O  EP 


s 

5B3Z 

o 

p 


Russian  Sunflower,  1900 
Russian  Sunflower,  1901 

Russian  Sunflower 

Washingtonia  Palm 

Washingtonia  Palm 

Date  Palm 

Camphor  Tree 

Oriental  Sycamore 

Eucalyptus  amygdalina 

Kolreuteria 

Caiiaigre 


Good. 
Good. 
Poor  . 
Large 
Small 
Large 
Large 
Large 
Large 
Fair  . 
Fair  . 


.156 
.329 
.226 
.032 
.082 
.045 
.033 
.120 
.217 
.319 
.057 


.008 
.011 
.020 

.008 
.018 
.002 
.020 
.017 
.062 
.001 


.015 
.034 
.010 
.006 
.007 

.009 
.127 
.019 
.079 


.179 
.374 
.256 
.038 
.097 
.063 
.044 
.267 
.253 
.460 
.058 


24,880 
52,640 
36,120 

5,080 
13,040 

5,520 

5,280 
19,240 
34,720 
51,040 

9,160 


1,240 
1,760 
3,160 

Y,200 
2,800 

320 
3,200 
2,720 
9,920 

120 


2,360 
5,440 
1,560 
1,000 
1,040 

Y,420 

20,320 

2,960 

12,640 

80 


28,480 
59,840 
40,840 

6,080 
15,280 

8,320 

7,020 
42,760 
40,400 
73,600 

9,360 


Russian  Sunflower. — The  sunflower  on  plot  8  of  the  Tulare  substation 
grew  to  a  height  of  three  feet  and  matured  its  seed  in  presence  of  about 
60,000  pounds  of   alkali  salts;  the  amount  of  carbonate  of  soda  was, 


—  38  — 

however,  rather  low,  while  that  of  common  salt  was  high  (5,440  pounds). 
When,  however,  the  carbonate  was  increased  to  a  little  more  than  3,000 
pounds  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth,  the  plants  were  severely  affected, 
their  average  height  being  only  fourteen  inches. 

Washingtonia  Palm. — A  number  of  these  palms  are  growing  along 
the  border  of  the  station  tract  and  county  road,  in  soils  containing  about 
15,000  pounds  of  alkali  salts  per  acre.  The  palms  look  well,  though 
differing  in  height,  and  none  of  them  seem  to  have  been  affected  by 
alkali. 

Date  Palm. — A  large  date  palm  is  growing  in  a  sandy  alkali  soil  at 
the  Tulare  substation  and  is  not  at  all  affected  by  the  two  hundredths 
of  one  per  cent  of  carbonate  of  soda  present.  It  will  clearly  tolerate  a 
larger  amount.     Only  a  trace  of  common  salt  was  found  in  the  soil. 

Camphor  Tree. — The  tree  is  in  splendid  condition,  having  a  height  of 
fifteen  feet  and  spreading  strongly  and  with  good  foliage.  The  alkali  is 
too  small  in  amount  to  affect  it. 

Oriental  Sycamore. — The  carbonate  of  soda  around  the  roots  of  this 
large  tree  is  comparatively  small  (3,200  pounds),  but  common  salt  is 
present  to  the  extent  of  more  than  one  tenth  of  one  per  cent,  which 
gives  the  enormous  amount  of  20,000  pounds  per  acre  in  four  feet 
depth.  It  is  clear,  then,  that  in  almost  any  alkali  land  reclaimed  from 
carbonate  of  soda  this  tree  will  make  good  growth. 

Eucalyptus  amygdalina. — This  tree  is  growing  well  in  even  stronger 
alkali  land  than  the  sycamore,  its  tolerance  of  common  salt  being  more 
than  20,000  pounds  per  acre.  The  amount  of  carbonate  of  soda  which 
it  will  withstand  has  not  yet  been  ascertained,  as  there  was  but  1,900 
pounds  present  here. 

Kblreuteria  paniculata. — This  small  tree  was  found  growing  in  the 
alkali  sump  which  had  received  much  of  the  alkali  drainage  of  the 
station  tract,  and  where  the  alkali  was  supposed  to  be  strongest.  The 
amount  of  carbonate  of  soda  was  found  to  be  greater  than  elsewhere, 
nearly  10,000  pounds  per  acre  in  four  feet;  but  the  common  salt  was 
less  than  found  in  the  soil  of  the  eucalyptus  tree. 

GENERAL    SUMMARY    OF    RESULTS    THUS    FAR    OBTAINED. 

The  following  tables  present  in  brief  form  for  comparisons  the  nearest 
approach  to  maximum  tolerance  of  each  of  the  salts  of  alkali  thus  far 
obtained  for  fruits  and  other  cultures;  giving,  of  course,  the  amounts  in 
which  each  culture  was  growing  and  in  good  condition  entirely  unaffected 
by  alkali.     The  cultures  are  arranged  in  the  order  of  highest  tolerance. 

These  results  are  of  course  only  tentative,  for  in  a  great  majority  of 
cases  future  examinations  will  probably  greatly  raise  the  figures  given 
in  the  tables. 


—  39  — 

Aided  by  the  cooperation  of  the  farmers  throughout  the  State  where 
alkali  lands  exist,  this  work  will  be  continued,  and  we  hope  to  greatly 
increase  the  value  of  the  results  obtained. 


Highest  Amount  of  Alkali  in  Which  Fruit  Trees  Were  Found  Unaffected. 

Arranged  from  highest  to  lowest.    Pounds  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth. 


Sulfates 
(Glauber  Salt). 


Carbonate 
(Sal  Soda). 


Chlorid 
(Common  Salt). 


Total  Alkali. 


Grapes 40,800 

Olives 30,640 

Figs 24,480 

Almonds 22,720 

Oranges 18,600 

Pears.... 17,800 

Apples 14,240 

Peaches 9,600 

Prunes 9,240 

Apricots 8,640 

Lemons 4,480 

Mulberry 3,360 


Grapes 7,550 

Oranges 3,840 

Olives. 2,880 

Pears 1,760 

Almonds 1,440 

Prunes 1,360 

Figs.. 1,120 

Peaches 680 

Apples 640 

Apricots 480 

Lemons 480 

Mulberry 160 


Grapes 9,640 

Olives 6,640 

Oranges 3,360 

Almonds 2,400 

Mulberry 2,240 

Pears 1,360 

Apples 1,240 

Prunes 1,200 

Peaches 1,000 

Apricots 960 

Lemons 800 

Figs. 800 


Grapes 45,760 

Olives 40,160 

Almonds 26,560 

Figs 26,400 

Oranges 21,840 

Pears 20,920 

Apples .  16,120 

Prunes 11,800 

Peaches 11,280 

Apricots 10,080 

Lemons 5,760 

Mulberry 5,760 


Other  Trees. 

Kolreuteria  ..  51,040 

Kolreuteria..    9,920 

Or.  Sycamore  20,320 

Kolreuteria...  73,600 

Eucal.  am 34,720 

Or.  Sycamore    3,200 

Kolreuteria..  12,640 

Or.  Sycamore-  42,760 

Or.  Sycamore.  19,240 

Date  Palms..    2,800 

Eucal.  am.  ..    2,960 

Eucal.  am.  ...  40,400 

Wash.  Palms.  13,040 

Eucal.  am.  ..    2,720 

Camph.  Tree.    1,420 

Wash.  Palms .  15,280 

Date  Palms  ..    5,500 

Wash.  Palms    1,200 

Wash.  Palms    1,040 

Date  Palms 8,320 

Camph.  Tree .    5,280 

Camph.  Tree.       320 

Camph.  Tree..    7,020 

Small  Cultures. 


Saltbush 

.125,640 

Saltbush 

18,560 

Modiola 

40,860 

Saltbush 

156,720 

Alfalfa,  old. . 

.102,480 

Barley 

12,170 

Saltbush 

12,520 

Alfalfa,  old... 

110,320 

Alfalfa,  younj 

y  11,120 

Bur  Clover .. 

11,300 

Sorghum 

9,680 

Alfalfa,  youn£ 

'  13,120 

Hairy  Vetch. 

.  63,720 

Sorghum 

9,840 

Celery 

9,600 

Sorghum 

81,360 

Sorghum 

.  61,840 

Radish 

8,720 

Alfalfa,  old.. 

5,760 

Hairy  Vetch.. 

69,360 

Sugar  Beet .. 

.  52,640 

Modiola 

4,760 

Alfalfa,  yo'ng 

760 

Radish 

62,840 

Sunflower ... 

.  52,640 

Sugar  Beet .. 

4,000 

Sunflower  ... 

5,440 

Sunflower  ... 

59,840 

Radish 

.  51,880 

Gluten  Wheat 

3,000 

Sugar  Beet  .. 

5,440 

Sugar  Beet 

59,840 

Artichoke  _.. 

.  38,720 

Artichoke 

2,760 

Barley 

5,100 

Modiola 

52,420 

Carrot 

.  24,880 

Lupin 

2,720 

Hairy  Vetch. 

3,160 

Artichoke 

42,960 

Gluten  Wheat  20,960 

Hairy  Vetch. 

2,480 

Lupin 

3,040 

Carrot ._ 

28,480 

Wheat 

.  15,120 

Alfalfa 

2,360 

Carrot ._ 

2,360 

Barley 

25,520 

Barley 

.  12,020 

Grasses 

2,300 

Radish 

2,240 

Gluten  Wheal 

;  24,320 

Goat's  Rue .. 

.  10,880 

Kaffir  Corn.. 

1,800 

Rye... 

1,720 

Wheat 

17,280 

Rye 

.    9,800 

Sweet  Corn.. 

1,800 

Artichoke  ... 

1,480 

Bur  Clover... 

17,000 

Canaigre 

.     9,160 

Sunflower  ... 

1,760 

GlutenWheat 

1,480 

Celery 

13,680 

Ray  Grass... 

.    6,920 

Wheat 

1,480 

Wheat 

1,160 

Rye 

12,480 

Modiola 

.    6,800 

Carrot 

1,240 

Grasses 

1,000 

Goat's  Rue  .. 

11,800 

Bur  Clover .. 

.    5,700 

Rye. 

960 

White  Melilot 

440 

Lupin 

11,200 

Lupin 

.    5,440 

Goat's  Rue  ._ 

760 

Goat's  Rue.. 

160 

Canaigre 

9,360 

White  Melilot    4,920 

White  Melilot 

480 

Caflaigre 

80 

Ray  Grass 

6,920 

Celery _ 

.    4,080 

Canaigre 

120 

White  Melilol 

5,840 

—  40  — 

Since  the  above  was  in  type  the  following  additional  data  regarding 
special  cultures  at  the  ten-acre  tract  of  the  Southern  California  substa- 
tion have  been  obtained.  The  analyses  of  the  soils  of  the  several  plots 
show  an  almost  entire  absence  of  common  salt,  and  the  cultures  have 
therefore  only  to  contend  with  carbonate  of  soda  and  the  sulfates.  The 
figures  show  the  amount  of  alkali  in  three  feet  of  soil  per  acre.  The 
soil  is  a  close-grained  black  loam,  not  sandy  as  at  Tulare. 

Plot  8. 

Sulfates,  9,880  lbs. ;  Carbonate,  2,360  lbs. ;  total,  12,320  lbs. 
Cultures  all  killed  by  the  alkali. 

Safflower  Bearded  Crowfoot  Grass 

Globe  Artichoke  Celery 

Sunflower  Dwarf  Essex  Rape 
Esparto  Grass 

Plot  45. 

Sulfates,  3,080  lbs. ;  Carbonate,  2,120  lbs. ;  total,  5,200  lbs. 
Cultures  all  killed  by  alkali. 
Fennel  Medicinal  Rhubarb 

Burdock  Quinoa 

Caraway  Coriander 

Calendula 

Plot  34. 

Sulfates,  1,880  lbs. ;  Carbonate,  1,560  lbs. ;  total,  3,440  lbs. 
Cultures  all  killed  by  alkali. 
Saltwort  Tall  Oat  Grass 

Russian  Millet  Perennial  Ray  Grass 

Golden  Millet  Roman  Chamomile 

Japanese  Wheat  Grass  German  Chamomile 

Plot  19. 

Sulfates,  1,520  lbs. ;  Carbonate,  1,440  lbs. ;  total,  2,960  lbs. 
Cultures  all  killed  by  alkali. 
Italian  Ray  Grass  French  Lentil 

Side  Oats  Grama  Dal 

Herds  Grass  Fenugreek 

Crimson  Clover  Kidney  Vetch 

Elusine  Barcinonensis  Golden  Thorpe  Barley 

Crested  Koeleria  Grass  German  Millet 

Plot  43. 

Sulfates,  1,920  lbs. ;  Carbonate,  1,800  lbs. ;  total,  3,720  lbs. 
Cultures  doing  fairly  well. 
Broccoli  White  Kaffir  Corn 

Chard  Red  Kaffir  Corn 

Fennel  Sweet  Corn 

Dwarf  Essex  Rape  Teosinte 

Black  Rice  Corn 

African  (.4.  halimus)  Saltbush  did  not  germinate. 

Plot  63. 

Sulfates,  1,080  lbs. ;  Carbonate,  1,320  lbs. ;  total,  2,400  lbs. 
California  Flax  grew  one  foot  in  height  and  was  heavy  with  seed. 


41 


CONCLUSIONS. 


A  review  of  the  above  tables  and  of  the  more  detailed  results  brings 
with  it  the  following  conclusions: 

1.  While  for  the  crops  in  general  the  maximum  tolerance  for  alkali 
salts  has  not  yet  been  definitely  found,  close  approximations  are 
reached  with  a  number,  such  as  the  apple,  peach,  orange,  and  lemon 
trees,  with  respect  to  carbonate  of  soda  and  common  salt.  In  one  or 
two  instances  alone  was  the  sulfate  of  soda  the  apparent  cause  of 
distress  on  the  part  of  a  tree. 

2.  Grapes  and  olives  thus  far  stand  at  the  head  among  fruits  in  their 
tolerance  of  each  of  the  alkali  salts;  oranges  grew  in  a  larger  amount  of 
carbonate  than  did  the  olive,  but  that  salt  was  chiefly  held  below  the  two 
surface  feet.  On  the  other  hand,  the  lemon  seems  to  be  the  most  sensi- 
tive to  the  effects  of  alkali,  especially  to  common  salt,  and  next  to  it 
the  orange. 

3.  The  amount  tolerated  depends  largely  upon  the  distribution  of 
the  several  salts  in  the  vertical  soil-column,  the  injury  being  most 
severe  in  the  surface  foot,  where  under  the  influence  of  the  unfor- 
tunate practice  of  surface-irrigation  the  feeding  rootlets  are  usually 
found.  It  is  therefore  important  that  in  alkali  regions  such  methods 
of  culture  and  irrigation  should  be  followed  as  to  encourage  deep 
rooting  on  the  part  of  crops. 

4.  The  amount  tolerated  varies  with  the  variety  of  the  same  plant,  as 
shown  in  the  grape. 

5.  The  amount  of  alkali  tolerated  by  the  various  cultures  varies  with 
the  nature  of  the  soil.  It  is  lowest  in  heavy  clay  soils  and  fine- 
grained soils,  in  which  the  downward  movement  of  plant  roots  is 
restricted;  and  highest  in  loam  and  sandy  soils,  in  which  the  roots  have 
freedom  of  penetration. 

6.  Some  plants,  such  as  the  saltbush  and  alfalfa,  are  quite  suscepti- 
ble to  alkali  salts  when  young,  but  when  the  roots  penetrate  deeply, 
and  the  ground  is  heavily  covered  with  the  foliage  of  the  plant,  they 
are  immune  to  a  very  large  extent. 

7.  Lands  heavily  charged  with  alkali  may  often  be  made  productive 
for  certain  crops  by  the  application  of  irrigation  water  in  sufficient 
amount  to  leach  the  salts  down  to  a  depth  of  several  (five  or  six)  feet, 
and  by  preventing  their  subsequent  rise  by  proper  mulching,  or  cultivation 
until  the  foliage  of  the  plant  itself  will  prevent  evaporation  of  the  soil 
moisture  from  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Alfalfa  culture  has  thus  been 
made  highly  profitable  in  lands  once  so  strongly  charged  with  alkali 
as  to  kill  all  vegetation. 

8.  The   reclamation   of   lands   charged   with   carbonate   of  soda   by 

4— Bul.  133 


—  42  — 

neutralization  with  gypsum  often  renders  possible  the  profitable  plant- 
ing of  such  crops  as  withstand  large  amounts  of  common  salt  or  of 
glauber  salt. 

9.  The  effects  of  carbonate  of  soda  are  seen  in  the  yellowing  of  the 
leaves  of  the  tree  caused  by  its  corrosive  action  on  the  root-crown, 
whereby  the  proper  flow  of  sap  and  food  supply  to  the  leaves  is  pre- 
vented. The  effect  of  common  salt  is  seen  in  the  falling  of  the  leaves 
from  the  newer  branches,  and  in  the  blackening  and  curling  of  the 
leaves  of  pears,  as  shown  in  the  photograph  on  the  title-page  of  this 
bulletin. 

10.  Sulfate  of  soda  (glauber  salt)  is  hurtful  only  when  present 
in  very  large  amounts,  most  cultures  doing  well  in  more  than  10,000 
pounds  per  acre  in  four  feet  depth;  saltbush,  hairy  vetch,  alfalfa,  and 
sorghum  grew  well  in  more  than  61,000  pounds. 

11.  Barley  is  better  adapted  to  alkali  land  than  is  wheat,  for  it  will 
withstand  the  effects  of  twice  the  amount  of  carbonate  of  soda  and  com- 
mon salt.  Of  course,  the  carbonate  may  be  neutralized  with  gypsum,  and 
in  the  absence  of  much  common  salt  will  permit  of  the  growth  of  excel- 
lent crops  of  wheat;  but  where  the  amount  of  common  salt  exceeds  5,000 
pounds  barley  should  be  given  the  preference  over  wheat. 


